Disability Pride Month

July is Disability Pride Month and commemorates the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law. ADA prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in all areas of public life and enables their full participation in society — by working, going to school, using public and private transportation services, voting, buying goods and services or accessing public places.

Disability Pride Month began in 1990 and celebrates people with disabilities, their identities and culture, and their contributions to society. Its goal is to change the way people think about and define disability and to end the stigma. It also promotes the belief that a disability is a natural part of human diversity in which people living with disabilities can celebrate and take pride. People with disabilities make up 15% of the world's population. In the United States specifically, people with disabilities are considered the largest minority group, constituting around 26% of the population. Furthermore, this diverse group encompasses individuals of all ages, races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, religions, and socio-economic backgrounds.

Main Stay’s culture has always been to focus on each person’s abilities and celebrate the differences in all. In honor of Disability Pride Month, we are proud to be a sponsor of the Chicago Disability Pride Parade. You can find more information on the parade at www.disabilityprideparade.org

Looking for other ways to celebrate? 

• Why and How to Celebrate Disability Pride Month 2023 
• For whose disabilities might be outwardly hard to see: Check out these books for children and young adults

*Stay tuned for more information on Main Stay’s Disability Pride Month mini-celebration happening in July!*

Calendar

Upcoming Holidays | Celebrations | Awareness Days

July 4th

Independence Day: (U.S.) Celebrates the Declaration of Independence which was ratified on July 4th, 1776

July 6th

17th of Tammuz: (Jewish) A day of fasting commemorating the day the walls of Jerusalem were breached leading to the destruction of the Second Temple. 

July 19th

Muharram: (Muslim) First month of the Islamic calendar and considered the holiest month of the year after Ramadan. 

July 27th

Tisha B’av: (Jewish) A day of mourning for both the destruction of Solomon’s Temple and the Second Temple. 

July 28th

Ashura: (Muslim) A day of mourning for Shia Muslims commemorating the death of Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. Hussein’s death ultimately lead to the split between Shia and Sunni Muslims. For Sunni Muslims, this day is a celebration of Moses and the Israelites escaping biblical Egypt and is recognized with fasting.

Be sure to check out the live Calendar through the link below! You can view the entire year by clicking the blue arrows at top left of the calendar.