My identity, my way: Here's why July is celebrated as 'Disability Pride Month'

The monthrsquos aim is to visibilise the experiences of persons with disabilities Celebrated annually in the USA Disability Pride Month commemorates the Americans with Disabilities Act passed on July 26 1990 that prohibited discrimination against people with disabilities across fields and spacesArtist and illustrator Ritika Gupta speaks about the importance of the month from an Indian context as a means to bring awareness about the experiences of people at the intersection of two marginalised identities mdash queerness and disability The month is not an extension of Junersquos pride month but one that includes and voices the experiences of those left out of heteronormative models queer aesthetics and identity constructs that are inaccessible to allTrishala D writer and founder of Bedridden Revolutions explains ldquoDisabled people have for the most part been erased within queer movements as it is inaccessible for wheelchair users long pride walks might be hard for those with chronic fatigue and it might be difficult for crips to keep up with queer aesthetics and desirabilityrdquo This increases the need for visibility of experiences and acknowledgement of identities ldquoAnd these identities are also not monolithic in any way There is no one way of being queer just like there is no one way of crip I use lsquocriprsquo because this vocabulary of reclamation resonates with that of lsquoqueerrsquordquo Trishala points out The writer began Bedridden Revolutions last month as a repository to honour revolutionaries who lead from their beds changing the space from one of limitation to one of powerAccessibility and visibilityAbhishek Anicca poet writer and founder of Dislang Mag shares that we are still far from representation He maintains that the month isnrsquot widely celebrated as the experiences of those who do not have access to social media vocabulary agency or are restricted due to caste and class fall through the cracks ldquoThe spectrum of the month needs to be broadened to include all and offer space to listen to varied experiences and what pride means to themrdquo he addsIllustrated by Ritika GuptaTrishala upholds the need for visibility recognition and acknowledgement ldquoBecause there are so many ways of being crip ill disabled and neurodivergent and not everyone has the privilege to tell their stories But by recognising such identities we leave space for them to breatherdquo They stress on the need to visibilise this identity that will further urge us to do better and reassess our politics and activism by locating ableism in social movements to initiate impactful changePride not in isolationAnicca speaks about the movement as assertive pride as the marginalisation of the community goes unnoticed and persons with disabilities are forced to become activists ldquoIn this manner pride isnrsquot celebrated because society makes us feel proud it is asserted because we have to rely on ourselves to generate pride and reclaim this identityrdquoNu MishraPride does not come without shame grief and vulnerability Nu Mishra writer and founder of Revival Disability Community says adding ldquoPride emerges from fighting for our agency and identities removing the stigma that disabled bodies are lazy or unattractive or shamefulrdquo Recognising this identity would mean that people would have to alter discourses around queerness and disability keeping experiences across the spectrum in mind Gupta maintainsAbhishek AniccaThe way forwardTrishala says ldquoEvery time I am met with questions on how society can do better some bitterness is inevitable I want to say lsquoYou people made this world the way it is now you fix it but obviously I must elide such crudeness for solidarityrsquos sakersquo It is unlikely that I am going to say anything that nondisabled people donrsquot already know So I will say lsquoStrive to create a better worldrsquordquo Read and listen to begin the journey of change facilitated by unlearning ideas formed by ableist perspectives how we look at disability rest and productivity independence and agency sexuality love and its expression Gupta adds ldquoEvery day I fight with my internalised ableism seek community care to understand that my autistic needs are justified and worthy of being metrdquoBedridden Revolutions illustrated by Trishala DldquoWe donrsquot have to overcome our disabilities to fit into an ablebodied world we want to build a world that honours our being the way it is We donrsquot just want integration we want a world where we donrsquot have to fight to survive There is no one month that is enough to celebrate the brilliant ways in which we existrdquoTrishala concludesLog on to artistic_license bedriddenrevolutions dislangmag and revivaldisabilitymag