Our Chicago: Disability Pride Month
CHICAGO (WLS) -- July is Disability Pride Month. Not only does it honor the achievements, experiences and struggles of people with disabilities it also marks an important anniversary.
According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, up to 27 percent of adults in the U.S. have some type of disability.
The Americans With Disabilities Act was passed in July of 1990. Daisy Feidt is the Executive Vice President of Access Living. Since 1980, the organization has worked to make sure people with disabilities can live the lives they choose.
She says people with disabilities mark Disability Pride Month, "by showing up and making ourselves visible and showing everybody we have pride in the community that we come from." As for allies, Feidt urged them to attend the Disability Pride Parade which is taking place on July 22nd either cheering from the sidelines or riding on the float of an organization they might be connected with.
"I think the main thing too for allies is just to think, sometimes we have a frame of people with disabilities that we're people that should be you know people feel sorry for," Feidt urged. "And that's not what we want, and it's important for people to know that people with disabilities have fulfilling lives and can have really wonderful lives. And if we face barriers, those are things we need people's help, allies help with to overcome community barriers, barriers in society that maybe keep us from having the fulfilling life we want to live."
While it's been more than 30 years since the passing of the ADA, Feidt said people with disabilities still face barriers such as access to economic justice.
"One of the statistics that hasn't budged very much since the ADA was passed is number of people with disabilities that are unemployed," Feidt said.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, just over 21 percent of people with disabilities were employed last year. That compares to more than 65 percent of people without a disability.
Shore Community Services, which got its start in the north suburbs more than 70 years ago, works to improve the lives of people with disabilities.
That includes job training and life skills. Alexis India Alm is the Chief Executive Officer of Shore Community Services. They have a program called "Ready To Work" that prepares people with disabilities to enter the workplace.
"I think the biggest thing is for employers to expand their thoughts on who or what an employee looks like, a good employee, and opening their mind to who can do this job best for our organization," India Alm said.
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