Disability Pride: A Conversation Worth Having
Last week, we held our monthly consultant meeting, which happened to fall on July 1, the first day of Disability Pride Month. I had asked the team to come prepared to reflect on what Disability Pride means to them.
What I expected to be a brief sharing of quotes became something much deeper: a conversation about Disability Pride, cultural recognition, and why Disability Pride is still not widely understood or embraced outside of the disability community.
Matt reminded us that many other pride, heritage, and awareness months are recognized by friends, families, coworkers, organizations, and allies in ways that make them feel more culturally integrated. He noted that when Disability Pride Month arrives, much of the messaging, recognition, and support still seems to come primarily from within the disability demographic.
As we thought about it together, many of us agreed.
I shared with the team about being at an event where there was a large sign naming the identities that were included, accepted, and welcomed in that space. And yet, “disabled” did not make the list.
That absence was striking, especially given that more than 1 in 4 adults in the United States have some type of disability, according to the CDC. Disability is not rare. Disability is part of every community, every workplace, every school, every family system, and every public space.
So why is Disability Pride still so often treated as something separate?
Why is it still something disabled people are expected to explain, celebrate, and carry mostly on our own?
Those questions became the inspiration for this campaign.
This July, Centered Resources is launching This Is Leadership, a Disability Pride and beyond campaign centering disabled leadership, lived experience, and everyday action.
At Centered Resources, we believe leadership is rooted in the capacity to share experience, practice interdependence, create access, and participate meaningfully. We chose the phrase This Is Leadership because these forms of leadership are often already present, but not always recognized. When access is treated as an afterthought, when participation is limited, or when lived experience is left out of decision-making, important forms of leadership can go unseen.
Through This Is Leadership, we want to highlight ways leadership can take shape and what becomes possible when access and lived experience are centered.
And this is where allyship matters.
If Disability Pride is going to become more visible beyond the disability community, disabled people cannot be the only ones naming it, celebrating it, and advocating for its recognition. Allies, organizations, families, friends, coworkers, educators, and community members all have a role to play.
That is why we are pairing This Is Leadership with a simple allyship series called One Small Action.
One Small Action is an invitation to turn good intentions into supportive allyship.
Allyship is not about speaking for disabled people. It is about being in relationship with disabled people. It means listening, asking questions, inviting meaningful conversation, practicing access, and being willing to change because of what we learn.
Throughout July and beyond, we will share simple actions people can take to make Disability Pride more visible and also support disabled leadership, whether that’s in the workplace, in faith communities, in schools or in civic engagement.
None of these actions require big investments or long-term commitments. They simply require intention, and intention can create the space necessary for meaningful connection.
Through This Is Leadership, we hope more people will recognize lived experience as something that can shape, strengthen, and enrich leadership.
One Small Action is an invitation to begin in practical, meaningful ways as allies and partners in supporting Disability Pride, access, and disabled leadership.
This July, we invite you to reflect with us, share the campaign, and take one small action toward making Disability Pride, access, and disabled leadership more visible in our communities.
We’ll be sharing reflections, consultant spotlights, and One Small Action prompts throughout July and beyond. Follow along on Facebook and LinkedIn, and join the conversation using #ThisIsLeadership.
