DISABILITY PRIDE 2023

“…Disability does not define you. It is an unchosen feature, just as the colour of your eyes are. Just as your eyes do, disability will manage in the darkness. But in the light, it will sparkle…”

Disability is something that nearly all of us will experience at some point in our life, yet people with disabilities have spent generations being marginalized and misunderstood. We believe that the disabled community should be acknowledged, valued, and respected. One way to do that is by recognizing Disability Pride Month.

Disability Pride is celebrated every July and is an opportunity to honour the history, achievements, experiences, and struggles of the disability community. This project is about creatively reflecting the meaning of the disability pride flag and giving the space to the disabled community to share their words - without non-disabled people speaking for them. We invited Yat, Jeni, Lelainia, Aaron, and Reedan to write one page about what disability means to them.

The colours you see in this project represent the disability pride flag, and you will notice that not everyone is surrounded by just one colour; disability is nuanced, and we explored that theme through this project:

  • The Green represents sensory disabilities

  • The Blue represents emotional and psychiatric disabilities

  • The White represents for non-visible and undiagnosed disabilities

  • The Yellow represents neurodiversity

  • The Red represents physical disabilities.

  • The Black background mourns disabled people who’ve died due to ableism, violence, negligence, suicide, rebellion and illness whilst representing the rage and protest against the mistreatment of the disabled community.

  • You did not choose this

    The life you envisioned did not include disability, or you may not know a life without it.

    No matter how it occurred, disability has been written into your story.

    Daily, you experience the flows in society that leave little space for you and I

    But you also see the path paved through by those who come before us, and now you strive to strengthen for those who will follow

    You may be given many labels “inspirational” “broken”

    But you are not an object of pity you are resourceful and resilient

    And just as those of all abilities

    You are living your life, through the ever changing highs and lows, the best you can.

    Disability does not define you,

    It is an unchosen feature, just as the colour of your eyes are.

    Just as your eyes do, disability will manage in the darkness…

    But in the light, it will sparkle and create a space that is radiant just because you are in it.

    I am grateful to live in this world of diversity and disability.

    Grateful for the beauty and stories.

    Grateful for you.

    R.

  • I have 7 screws implanted on my head. Each screw represents my vulnerability in this society. At any point, if there’s a blow or injury to my head, all my accommodations would not work. It takes exceptional energy and strength to put on these ears and sound processors to hear and to conform to what the world perceives as “normal.” I can’t wait to continue to break barriers and advocate for microtians like myself around the the world that we are resilient and our disability doesn’t pull us back from what we dream of doing with our lives!!

    1. Respect me

    2. Don’t use R word

    3. Don’t judge a book by its cover

    Aaron

  • In 2012 I was diagnosed with a rare disease which can result in blindness, paralysis or worst-case scenario, death. I’ve lived with a whole host of symptoms since I was 12 years old.

    For a long time, I had one foot in the abled- bodied world and the other in the disabled world because my disabilities were largely invisible. This allowed me to fly under the radar, which meant I struggled to appear “normal” in my every day life. This took a toll on my physical and mental health.

    As an adult, I came to understand that being disabled is simply another state of being on the continuum of what it means to be human. This realization helped me to stop caring what others think and to embrace my identity as a person who lives with disabilities. ]

  • A hand drawn image of an iceberg with a title that says “The iceberg of B.D.P (borderline personality disorder.) Above the iceberg is written: What the world thinks: “Dramatic" “Attention seeking" “Difficult" “Manipulative".

    Inside the top of the iceberg that is above water is written: “What the world sees: Self-harm, Instability of emotions, Splitting, Impulsive, risky behaviour.

    Inside the bottom of the iceberg that is below water is written: What it actually feels like: Fear of abandonment, Difficulty regulating emotions, Derealization, Shifting self-image.