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Why is Disability Pride Month so overlooked?
Society still thinks disability is a source of shame
Hello,
If you’re a regular reader of this newsletter, you know that it’s Disability Pride Month. If you’ve just stumbled upon this issue (hi!), though, this could be the first you’ve heard of it.
Why is that? Good question.
I think there’s a few things going on here. And to be honest, all of them are pretty disheartening, especially to those of us who have been shouting about disability pride since before it was a hashtag.
First of all, brands and media outlets still think disability is niche. And if they don’t think there’s an audience for something - an ad campaign or a news story, perhaps - they won’t bother creating it. So, crickets.
The thing is, though - and I can’t stress this enough - disability isn’t niche. Not even close.
One in five people are disabled. That’s 20% of the population or, in the UK, 14.1 million people.
That’s a lot of people. Indeed, disabled people make up the world’s biggest marginalised group.
It frankly doesn’t make sense for us to be ignored; you’re missing out on a huge audience and market. In the UK alone, the purchasing power of disabled households (known as the purple pound) is estimated to be a whopping £249bn a year. We know that people are more likely to engage with or spend money on stuff that represents them and their values. So, if nothing else, the economics are in favour of celebrating disability pride as loudly as possible.
Perhaps, though, there is an unwillingness to associate with disability. Many people still equate the idea with the elderly and frumpiness, aka the opposite of what most brands are going for. I think there’s an assumption, too, that unless your product or whatever is specifically aimed at disabled people, we won’t want to buy it. But I regret to inform you that we, too, like to spend our money on crap we don’t need.
Fundamentally and, I think, most importantly, Disability Pride Month is overlooked because society is inherently uncomfortable with the idea that anyone could or should be proud to be disabled.
As I wrote a few weeks ago, we still think disability is a source of shame.
I know this from first hand experience: whenever I tell someone I’m proud to be disabled, they always look a bit… sceptical. As if this is just something I tell myself in order to feel better.
And if that’s what people believe, is it any surprise they’re reluctant to celebrate Disability Pride Month with us?
Disability Pride Month is all about amplifying disabled voices and celebrating the disability community. So, in that spirit, I’m running a lovely special offer on paid subscriptions to The View From Down Here. Subscribe by 31 July to get 10% off for a whole 12 months!
The anti-ableism work I do on this newsletter can only be done with reader support. If you value what I do, please consider subscribing. The special offer makes it a great time to do so!
But why is this important?
I hope by now readers of this newsletter are aware of the pressing need for change for disabled people.
As I’ve said before, the first step towards change is visibility. Governments, companies and individuals won’t challenge ableism if they never even see it as a problem.
Disability Pride Month is the perfect opportunity to spotlight disabled people and create some forward momentum.
But because it’s ignored, this opportunity is being wasted again and again.
So I implore you, lovely readers of The View From Down Here, to do just one thing this month that spreads the word.
Maybe that’s sharing some writing by a disabled author. Maybe it’s posting something online. Maybe it’s getting your workplace to hold an event.
Whatever you choose to do, let me know in the comments.
Until next week,
Lucy
Links of the week
The Guardian asked me to weigh in on the Tory leadership contest. It was hard
My pal and disabled journo partner in crime Rachel Charlton-Dailey was bloody well on The Guilty Feminist podcast
This is an interesting interview with shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves. Health warning: it’ll make you even more desperate for a Labour government (Sunday Times Magazine)
For anyone with a passing interest in the future of news and how we do journalism, this piece on moral injury is worth a read (New Statesman)