Picture taken from the City of Los Angeles Department on Disability
Welcome to July all! How has the start of the month been treating you so far? Did you know July is disability pride month? As someone with a disability myself, I’m ashamed to say I wasn’t aware of that until I started seeing a lot of posts on Facebook celebrating disability pride month.
One post that really stood out to me was one that mentioned people with disabilities still struggle with rights when it comes benefits and marriage. It’s actually true. A person on benefits can not be making over a certain amount of money, or they will be seen as no longer needing the benefits. If a person with a disability gets married, the couple’s combined finances is considered. A person with a disability can be taken off benefits if he or she and the spouse is making more than the amount of money allowed by the social security administration.
This leaves people with disabilities with two options. They can either choose to never get married, or they can get married and depend on their spouses financially. Unfortunately, the second option leaves people with disabilities vulnerable. Studies show that people with disabilities are five times more likely than people without disabilities to go through domestic abuse. Without an income of their own, people with disabilities might feel trapped when in an abusive situation. As seen from the above image of the disability pride flag, black represents people with disabilities who have suffered from violence.
When I was looking through the comments of Facebook posts about Disability Pride Month, I saw many negative reactions. Several people couldn’t understand the need for the celebration. Disability Pride month is needed to celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of people with disabilities, as well as recognize the continuing needs of the disability community. As long as there is still a struggle within the disability community, there is a need for awareness.
Are you a person with a disability reading this, or do you have a loved one with a disability? Where do you or that loved one fit on the the disability pride flag?
Happy Disability Pride Month! Let’s celebrate and embrace differences!
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence please reach out for help. In the United States, help is available 24/7 from the National Domestic Violence Hotline. If you need assistance, please click here.
Life with Charli 