By Amy Weigel, Public Services Librarian
Disability Pride Month is celebrated every year during the month of July, in honor of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Officially passed on July 26, 1990, this year is the 33rd anniversary of the ADA, which is the most comprehensive disability rights legislation ever signed into law. At the signing ceremony, President George H.W. Bush said, “Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down.”
Some adults weren’t alive to experience a pre-ADA world, and for others, it may be a distant memory. People with disabilities were denied basic opportunities, rights, and autonomy. There were no protections or requirements for education, employment, housing, transportation, health care, etc. Look below for some curated resources to learn more about the Americans with Disabilities Act and a booklist of memoirs, nonfiction, and fiction titles for adults to celebrate Disability Pride Month!
By the Numbers: Americans with Disabilities
1 in 4 Americans have a disability
Organizations for people with disabilities have existed since the 1800s
Between the 1960s and the passing of the ADA, Congress passed more than 50 pieces of disability rights legislation
Further Reading
Disability Pride Month Booklist
