On Friday, Buffalonians gathered to raise the Disability Pride flag in Niagara Square.
Disability Pride Month celebrates the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which became law 35 years ago on July 26, 1990. But it's also a celebration of community, culture, and the achievements of people with disabilities.
Shannell Davis is an activist with spinal muscular atrophy type two, who sits on the City of Buffalo’s disability advisory committee. In a speech, she explained that Disability Pride is also about visibility.
"Disability Pride Month is not just about celebration. It's about visibility. It's about taking back our identities in a world that usually sees us as burdens or something to be forgotten. I'm here to say we are not broken, we are powerful and we belong," Davis said.
Members of the city’s disability advisory committee, community leaders, the city’s ADA advocate, Buffalo Mayor Chris Scanlon, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, and several common council members were all in attendance for the flag raising.
The Disability Pride flag was designed by Ann Magill just a few years ago and has become a national symbol for the disability community. The flag has a black background with five different colored diagonal stripes, each representing a different group of people with disabilities. Those groups include people with physical disabilities, neurodiversity, invisible or undiagnosed disabilities, mental health conditions or psychiatric disabilities, and sensory disabilities. The black background symbolizes mourning and anger for people who have experienced ableism.
On Saturday, Buffalo will continue the celebration at Riverworks from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the Disability Pride Festival.
