The annual Disability Pride Parade is set for July 22, 2006 in downtown Chicago. This is a national event. The deadline for registration is July 5, 2006 ! The mission statement of the parade organizers is as follows:
The overall mission of the Disability Pride Parade is:
To change the way people think about and define “disability”;
To break down and end the internalized shame among people with Disabilities; and
To promote the belief in society that Disability is a natural and
beautiful part of human diversity in which people living with
Disabilities can take pride.
To organize a fully inclusive, annual event that will celebrate and
strengthen the pride, power, and unity of people with disabilities, our
families, and allies;
To generate national visibility of the Disability community.
This incredibly important annual national event is even more critical today than at any other time. It seems that people with disability are the targets of political and judicial/administrative animosity and indifference. The anti-discrimation statutes of the ADA and 504 too often are unenforced or given strained constructions to allow the offenders to escape liability. IDEA has already suffered one recent negative decision in Shaffer which may soon be followed with a second negative decision in Arlington Central. Moreover, there is a constant need to establish the first class citizenship of people with disabilities, and that disability is a natural and normal part of life. In my view this event should be a jumping off point for more overtly political parades and rallies in Washington D.C. and in state capitals around the country. We must stand together and present a unified front of all individuals with disabilities and those that love and support them, to assert our rights to a meaningful and dignified place in society.