Chicago Disability Pride Parade steps off downtown for Disability Pride Month

CHICAGO (WLS) -- This weekend, inclusion and community were celebrated as the Chicago Disability Pride Parade took to city streets in the Loop.

With several floats and hundreds of participants, the Saturday morning event stepped off at Van Buren an Plymouth Streets before heading up Dearborn Street.

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"It shows our disability pride," said Curtis Harris. "It's shows that we are who we are no matter what disabilities we have."

In its 20th year, organizers said the parade, which began in 2004, is the longest disability pride parade in the country.

This year's parade theme is "Nothing About Us, Without Us."

Justin Cooper is the head marshal of the parade.

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"It's hard for people with disabilities to be seen nationally, so this parade gives us an opportunity to showcase who we are as people with disabilities," said Cooper.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson stopped by to mingle with parade goers along with the commissioner of the mayor's Office of People with Disabilities.

Appointed to the job in 2020, Rachel Arfa is the first deaf person to lead the office.

"Today is a great day to celebrate what it means to be a person with a disability," said Arfa.

July is Disability Pride Month. The weekend parade is just one of the ways Chicago is highlighting the need for real representation of people with disabilities in all aspects of society as they look to change the culture around disability.

"One in five people have a disability and our perspectives and our input and our insights are valuable 8:58 and they are needed," said Emily Blum of the Disability Lead organization.