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July 10, 2023

Disability Pride Month

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 Rights Timeline

Inclusive By Design

Virtual Museum of Disability

ADA.gov

ADA Disabilities Act History

Disability History

Disability Pride Month Booklist

See the full booklist here!

Sitting Pretty by Rebekah Taussig   True Biz by Sara Novic  Demystifying Disability by Emily Ladau