7/29/26 - ADA Anniversary, Disability Pride, and a "Time" piece
Good morning ...
There's a lot to think about and reassess this July. Let's get right to the links ...
The ADA at 36: A Q&A with Disability Rights Pioneer Stephanie Thomas
Ian Ruder, New Mobility - July 14, 2026
"I remember a friend telling me that when he moved, his apartment’s bathroom wasn’t accessible, so he went swimming every two weeks just so he could bathe. And putting people in those places for their whole lives was considered acceptable! What’s frightening is that we seem to be heading back toward that kind of thinking, at least among some people. We can’t let that happen."
I cringe whenever discussions about disability activism turn to what it was like for disabled people "back in the day," and how things have changed in ways that younger disabled people don't know about or understand. This interview is pretty refreshing. It also does highlight some real differences in thinking about disability between different generations and factions within disability culture. Those differences can be corrosive at times. But, they are worth acknowledging and processing as thoughtfully as we can manage. And anniversaries like that of the Americans with Disabilities Act are clearly the right time for people with disabilities to look back and ask again what we can learn from our successes and failures.
NOT ASHAMED MONTH: MY DISABILITY PRIDE MONTH VERSION
Nathasha Alvarez, Audacity Magazine - July 7, 2026
"So here’s my actual position. We wouldn’t need a month at all if this world stopped judging, stopped segregating, stopped institutionalizing some of us and propping up the rest of us as inspiration for people who did nothing but exist next to us. This month exists to compensate for what society still won’t fix. That’s not something to be proud of. That’s something to be angry about."
I haven't said much about Disability Pride Month this year. Nathasha's thoughts here are pretty close to some of the reasons why not. I also like her idea of thinking about it as "Not Ashamed Month." Shedding both my conscious and unconscious shame about my own disabilities is to me the most relatable aspect of what could be called "disability pride."
The Contradiction at the Heart of Disability in America
Steve Way, Time - July 27, 2026
"You can be celebrated on a streaming service and defunded by a signature in the same summer. The issue: being seen is not the same as being kept alive."
Obviously, we should have both more visibility in popular media and strong, stable support to maintain our lives and practical independence. However, Steve makes a compelling case here that the representation we all strive for can trick us into feeling like we are safe and accepted. We are not.
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