Since 2015, we celebrate Disability Pride Month each July in honor of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which was passed in 1990.
For anyone unfamiliar with me, I'm Aaron Preece, editor of AFB's AccessWorld Technology and Digital Inclusion publication. I have severe low vision due to a degenerative retinal condition. For context, I primarily function as blind, e.g., using a screen reader and am not able to get any use out of magnification. When I was considering Disability Pride and what it means, I had some thoughts I thought worth sharing.
It's important to note the use of the word Pride. For most disability celebrations, the word "Awareness" or something similar is used. The use of "Pride" gives this celebration a different motivation. We aren't just drawing attention to our existence or specific issues, we are saying we deserve to thrive and live to the fullest just as much as our abled peers.
Considering Pride, it's worth focusing on self-advocacy. It's a common refrain, but I personally found that it can be easy to get complaisant. As an example, I commonly find myself going out of my way to access less than accessible websites. I use strange navigation strategies, such as jumping to the bottom of the page and navigating backward, switching screen readers and browsers, or even going into settings to turn off style sheets to access hidden items. These are good strategies to have, but I find that I just keep using them and allowing myself to make that my default instead of simply telling the developer of the issues. This is where pride comes in. Why deal with "Good enough" or "eh, I can deal with it" when as people just like anyone else, we shouldn't have to be required to fight with an inaccessible world or constantly find work around's when they're not necessary. In addition, if we don't speak up for ourselves people would never know that change is needed. Considering the state of accessibility education, it's almost expected that without attention being brought, developers might never know their site is inaccessible. That being said, there are concerted efforts to bring accessibility knowledge to a wider audience, including the work of our own AFB Talent Lab, so hopefully, we will eventually live in a world where access is a given.
As a point of pride, it is crucial that we develop our own life skills. This can be especially important if we are reporting access issues to others. Is that issue something wrong with the website or is it that we're not using our screen access software properly? I often see the sentiment that we should master everything to the greatest extent. Much like the rest of the population, we all have our own strengths and weaknesses. It seems most worthwhile to determine what is most valuable to you and pursue those specific skills without stretching yourself too thin. As an example, when I discovered the computer and the internet in particular, it was a complete game changer for me. Over time, access to technology is what I found worthwhile and is what, especially in recent years, has given me the most freedom. Accordingly, I have deliberately cultivated my technology skills to the fullest extent I can since I value them so much. On the other hand, I don't put all that much value on being able to cook. Aside from being sure that I can function well enough to feed myself, I haven't put effort in mastering the kitchen. I know plenty of people who are blind or low vision who are excellent cooks and have put significant effort into that skill. Christine Ha is an excellent example of this. What skills do you find crucial or value? Working towards a skill you value, especially if it is integral to living a full life can be a tremendous point of pride. Not only that, but by developing your skills you make yourself an even better self advocate.
