There are moments that teach us more about disability than any law, policy, or training ever could. One of those moments happens every time I think about my sister.She has survived five strokes. She lives with epilepsy and mobility challenges. And she still sings in the church choir.
When people hear those first two sentences, they often pause. They begin to imagine everything she has lost. I understand why. Our society has spent generations teaching us to see disability through the lens of limitation. It has taught us that people like my sister shouldn’t even be seen in public spaces. But then I tell them the last sentence: She still sings. Suddenly the story changes. Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with her?” folks begin asking, “What other gifts does she still have?”
This is one of the greatest lessons of Disability Pride Month. Disability does not erase all of a person’s gifts, dreams, wisdom, humor, or purpose. It changes some things, especially when it is acquired later in life, but it doesn’t diminish their humanity. Too often, our conversations about disability focus on what people cannot do. We measure independence. We measure productivity. We measure speed. But, what if we measured something different? What if we measured perseverance? Creativity? Faithfulness to family? The ability to encourage others, especially non-verbally? The courage to keep showing up? Those are gifts needed in our community, marketplace and workforce, too. My sister reminds me that contribution is not measured by perfection. It is measured by presence. She practices. She shows up. She sings. She is where she belongs.
Disability Pride Month invites all of us to challenge the assumptions we carry. When we meet someone with a disability, what do we notice first? The wheelchair? The white cane? The speech, facial or body difference? Or the person? What about those with invisible disabilities that cross our path? Are we extending grace when we are the ones confused? Or is it judgment, critique and ridicule? Every one of us wants the same thing: To be seen, valued and to know that our lives matter.
As a disability advocate, I spend a great deal of time talking about laws like the ADA – Americans with Disabilities Act and Community Access. Those protections matter because they create opportunities. But laws and opportunity alone are not enough because belonging doesn’t happen on paper. It happens in the hearts of people. It happens when a choir saves a place for its newest member. It happens when a manager assumes competence instead of limitation. It happens when a teacher sees potential while the student stares out the window, like my son with autism used to do. When someone simply says, “I’m glad you’re here.”
Disability Pride Month is about more than celebrating disability and the laws that allow all to be free. This Disability Pride Month, don’t first think about legislation. Think about celebrating people, especially the ones creating history right now. Celebrate people whose lives enrich our families, our workplaces, our neighborhoods, and our communities every single day. This July, I hope you’ll think about someone in your own life whose gifts deserve to be recognized. Someone who has taught you resilience or showed you courage. Someone who reminds you that every person has something valuable to contribute. As for me, I think about my sister. Because every time she stands with that choir, she reminds me of something I never want to forget. We are at our best when we make room for everyone’s voice.
