NXTLVL Looks | The Kharis Company
Disability Pride Month | July

This Is What Pride Looks Like.

Not disability awareness. Not disability pity. Pride. July is Disability Pride Month.

1 in 4
U.S. adults has a disability (CDC)
61M
Americans living with a disability
5
types of disability in the Pride flag
36 yrs
since the ADA was signed July 26, 1990
The Disability Experience
Invisible Disability Chronic Pain Neurodivergent Adaptive Technology Accessibility ADA Ableism Psychiatric Disability Physical Disability Sensory Disability Cognitive Disability Mobility Aid Service Animal Advocacy Representation Inclusion Accommodation Spoon Theory Disability Justice Intersectionality Pride Access
Why This Month Matters

The flag was designed so everyone sees themselves in it.

Five colors. Five types of disability. One community.

Physical. Psychiatric. Sensory. Cognitive. Invisible.

That last one matters more than most people realize. Invisible disability is exactly what it sounds like: conditions that affect daily life that you cannot see from the outside. Chronic pain. Autoimmune conditions. Mental health diagnoses. Hearing loss. Neurological differences. Millions of people navigate these realities every day in spaces that were not designed with them in mind, while others decide whether or not to believe them based on what they can visibly observe.

The ADA turned 36 this July 26. It was a landmark. It was also a beginning, not a finish line. Disability rights are still being fought, still being defined, and still being denied in spaces where they should be automatic. Accessibility is not standard. Representation is not guaranteed. Accommodation is not assumed. Inclusion is not default. These are things the disability community has had to demand, advocate for, and fight to keep.

Disability Pride Month exists because pride is resistance. It is the refusal to treat your body or mind as a problem to be apologized for.

The Kharis Company stands with the disability community in demanding what should have never had to be demanded: access, accommodation, and the right to be fully seen.

You do not have to be visibly disabled to be believed. You do not have to perform your disability for anyone. Your access matters.

What is Disability Pride Month?

A month-long observance each July celebrating the ADA's anniversary and the disability community's identity, history, and culture. It began in Chicago in 1990, the same year the ADA was signed into law.

What does the Disability Pride flag represent?

Each color represents a different disability category. Red: physical. Gold: cognitive and intellectual. Blue: psychiatric and mental health. Green: sensory including blindness and deafness. White: invisible and undiagnosed. The black background honors those lost to negligence, suicide, and murder.

What is the ADA?

The Americans with Disabilities Act, signed July 26, 1990, prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, public accommodations, transportation, and government services. It was a civil rights milestone with significant gaps that advocates continue to work to close.

What is ableism?

Discrimination and prejudice against people with disabilities. It shows up as overt prejudice and subtle bias: assuming someone cannot do something without asking, or using disability as an insult. It is pervasive in workplaces, media, and everyday language.

What is the social model of disability?

A framework distinguishing between impairment (a person's condition) and disability (barriers created by a society not designed for everyone). Under this model, disability is a social failure to accommodate human diversity, not a personal tragedy.

What is spoon theory?

A metaphor by Christine Miserandino describing limited energy available to people with chronic illness or disability. Each task uses a spoon. When spoons run out, the day is done. Widely used shorthand in disability communities for communicating capacity and limits.

Resources & Advocacy

Legal Advocacy

Disability Rights Advocates

dralegal.org

A national nonprofit legal center fighting for the rights of people with all disability types. They take cases, provide resources, and advocate systemically.

National Network

National Disability Rights Network

ndrn.org

The largest national network of disability rights advocates in the U.S. Provides legal representation and advocacy resources by state.

Autistic-Led

Autistic Self Advocacy Network

autisticadvocacy.org

Run by and for autistic people. Works on policy, advocacy, and community support with a disability justice framework.

ADA Information

ADA National Network

adata.org

Information, guidance, and training on the Americans with Disabilities Act. Use their helpline for questions about your rights.

Access is not a courtesy. It is a right.

These steps can change the conversation for you and for someone you love.

  • Learn the five categories of the Disability Pride flag and what each represents
  • Audit the spaces you control for accessibility across digital, physical, and communication formats
  • Do not assume someone is or is not disabled based on what you can see
  • Follow disabled creators, advocates, and organizations year-round, not just in July
  • When planning events, ask about accessibility needs before the day of
  • Use people-first or identity-first language based on the individual's preference. Ask, do not assume.
  • Amplify disability-led organizations and advocacy efforts with your platform
  • Share this page with someone who needs to see it

This content is for awareness and informational purposes only. Disability Pride Month is observed each July in honor of the ADA's anniversary.