July marks the global celebration of Disability Pride Month (DPM) and we’re excited to talk about what Disability Pride Month is and its importance to the disability community. We also wanted to acknowledge some of the fantastic work being done by some amazing disabled creators and advocates. We’ve created a list of resources and events, listed at the end of the post, celebrating DPM and what you can look forward to both online and off. A key part of disability pride is celebrating disability and disabled people. This celebration is, as always, in delightful partnership with all other marginalised community celebrations happening globally.
Note on positioning: This article was written by Chris and Kaemsi, members of Take This’ Community Review Board. Chris is a person with Albinism and a cis-gendered male. He is a lecturer of psychology based in the United Kingdom who is severely sight impaired/legally blind. Kaemsi is a South African Indian cis-woman diagnosed with depression, as well as multiple chronic conditions including type-2 diabetes and multiple sclerosis (MS). Kaemsi is currently working on her psychology undergrad. This guide comes from their perspectives and was reviewed by additional members of the Take This Community Review Board and Take This staff. We’ve linked to additional resources from other perspectives, and we encourage people to identify what parts of this advice may be relevant, as well as seek further resources specific to their needs.
Unpacking the word “Disability”:
What do we mean when we say “disability?” Having one definition for something as complex and nuanced as disability is tough because everyone’s experience is different. Even the words we use to describe our experiences and express our preferences change from person to person. But broadly, disability is defined as something that impacts a person’s ability to live their life without having to face additional barriers.
When it comes to understanding disability, there are two main ways that researchers have studied disabled people’s experiences: the medical model of disability and the social model of disability. In the medical model, a person is disabled by a medical condition or impairment. In the social model, people are disabled by barriers in their environment. In other words, the medical model focuses on what is ‘wrong’ with a person and how that creates barriers in the world while the social model focuses on what a person needs in order to successfully navigate the world as they are. In general, the medical model is viewed as outdated and the social model is preferred by disability researchers and activists.
TLDR: A Disability is something that impacts your life, in any number of ways. This may be everyday, it may be some days, it may be temporary (think when you’ve sprained or broken something). But in this article the word is used inclusively.
What is Disability Pride Month?
Disability Pride is about disabled people challenging the systems in place that prevent them from an equal and equitable life. Much like LGBTQIA+ Pride, it is both a protest and a chance to celebrate; it is a protest against discrimination, dehumanization, and ableism(1), and a celebration and sharing of the joy of being a disabled person however this interacts with one’s identity. Of course, our friends and allies are also welcome to join in!
Disability Pride owes its history and origins to the advocacy work that lead to the passing of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) in the United States in 1990. The goal of the ADA is to protect disabled people from discrimination and its passage sparked similar legislation across the world. By 2006, the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities articles to recognize the inherent human rights of disabled people in their Human Rights Instruments, ensuring protections for disabled people in nations under the UN.
Disability Pride even has its own flag to symbolise and commemorate the community and cause!
Disability Pride Flag (2021)
The colours in order:
- Red – Physical disabilities
- Gold – Neurodiversity
- White – Invisible and undiagnosed disabilities
- Blue – Mental health challenges
- Green – Sensory disabilities
- Charcoal Black – Mourning and rage for the lives taken by ableist abuse and violence
The design choice of the colours against a dark tone, and in a diagonal angle, is also intentional. These symbolise the walls and barriers disabled people face, as well as their light and creativity cutting through the darkness.
Why does Disability Pride Matter?
The World Health Organization estimates there are 1.3 billion people that experience a “significant disability”, which equates to around 16% of the population, or around 1 in 6 folks. That’s a lot of people! It makes disability a matter that has proximity to all of us in some way. But it is perhaps easiest and most valuable to describe why and how this matters through an explanation by the authors ourselves.
Chris: I think the easiest way I can sum this up is – if I had $1 for every time someone asked me if I were “An Albino,, I’d have retired by now. I very much describe myself as having a “visible difference” but an “invisible disability.” People see my Albino-ness and see that I’m different, but I’m often mistaken for someone who is from Scandinavia. It’s only after I correct them and let people know what Albinism is that they understand I’m a disabled person. Disability Pride Month allows me the ability to celebrate myself. I am Albino. I am proud of this. It’s my brand. My otherness is what I love about myself. I feel I have an extra right and reason to shout about it and feel more accepted during this month. Simply, not having to justify my right to exist because my peers and I are celebrating and cheering each other on this is so important as it adds to feelings of acceptance and validation . That’s why this matters. Also, more restaurant menus need to ditch the fancy fonts even online. Thanks!
Kaemsi: I really only faced the idea that I was disabled when I was finally diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (it’s a process); But as I was forced to come to terms with my new baselines and how ephemeral they are, I realised this paradigm shift wasn’t new to me: I had done this before because I’ve been disabled for most of my life. I’d always been sickly and in pain since my childhood. I have continuously dealt with mental health issues. I’ve needed prescription spectacles since high school. As other chronic illnesses developed and progressed, they affected my ability to function in ways that society does not want to accommodate – for example, something as simple as bathroom use due to side effects of my diabetes treatment in high school was an issue because “you’re old enough to know how to hold it in,” and it became such a hurdle I actually stopped taking my medication. Considering that diabetes is a “silent epidemic” (World Economic Forum, 2024) this was a dangerous choice, but my hands were tied, for a condition that had accessible medical solutions in an unyielding, inaccessible society. This was just one choice among many that needed to be made in such circumstances.
In some ways, it has been freeing to recognise my status as a disabled person now. It has absolved me of the shame that came with not functioning “normally,” and taken the blame away for failing to “healthy living” my way out of being so ill all my life. I now have a little more courage to consider what I need and ask for it. But as my disabilities expand with the multitude of changes these conditions apply to my life, my access to the world narrows. It is terrifying to know I have immense potential to participate in society, but am stonewalled by the massive defense people put into ableist systems that will ultimately harm us all. So much of the setbacks in accessibility come from the societal refusal to acknowledge how this works: everyone is capable of becoming disabled – by disease, accident, circumstance, or sheer chance. Therefore, creating an accessible world benefits everyone, and can begin in incredibly small ways. Disability Pride, to me, is a chance to celebrate myself as I am, but also make a call to action for the necessity of access for all.
Take This and Disability Pride Month
As mentioned above, not all disabilities are visible. Mental health challenges that significantly impact someone’s ability to function in daily life are an example of invisible disability. In fact, according to the World Health Organization, depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. The intersectionality of video games and disability often is manifested through “accessibility.” In the context of games, accessibility is the way in which video games facilitate disabled players playing video games. Providing options around things like text size, subtitles, brightness/contrast, closed captioning, quest logs, motion-blur, and content warnings are all accessibility options. There’s been significant progress in the frequency and type of accessibility options in games, however 66% of disabled players continue to face significant barriers. The most common barrier experienced by players is the additional cost of assistive technology (such as adaptive controllers) on top of the console/games. Access is further limited by lack of information and by stigma. 40% of game players have purchased a game they then couldn’t play due to lack of accessibility and/or faced negative attitudes from other game players due to their disability.
While these numbers may seem bleak, games accessibility is growing and advancements allowing more people to play in a way that works for them are happening all the time.
Here are some resources that are currently in circulation to improve accessibility in games:
- Xbox Accessibility Guidelines
- RNIB Design For Every Gamer [Focused on low/no sight gaming]
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
- BBC Subtitle Guidelines
Conclusion
Many people are disabled and most people will experience disability in their lifetime. It is important to champion equality and equity for disabled people and work toward a more accessible world. Take time to celebrate the disabled people in your life, protest for accessibility for all, and have a safe and lovely, happy Disability Pride Month!
Disability Pride Month Events and Resources:
Events not affiliated, or endorsed by Take This – this is simply some of the many events taking place.
- Impact Day by Many Cats Studios (Fully Disabled game Studio, online event (UK), free)
- Nothing Without Us is doing a number of events throughout July
- Game A11y Gathering (Offline event, ticketed)
- Disabled Content Creators Collective stream team is hosting a raid train event in July to celebrate disabled content creators in an aim to educate about disability and showcase the disabled community on the platform, starting July 6, noon UTC/3am Pacific/6am Eastern
- Access-Ability Summer Gaming Showcase
- Access-Ability, Discussing Accessibility and Representation in Video Games
(1)This discrimination of disabled people is called “ableism”. This relates to treating people with disabilities differently or positioning them at a disadvantage due to said disability