Celebrating Disability Pride Month: Honoring Neurodiversity, Advocacy, and Growth

July marks Disability Pride Month, a time to celebrate the strength, diversity, and contributions of individuals with disabilities as well as to acknowledge the ongoing work needed to build a more inclusive and equitable world. For educational and mental health providers like our team at The Educational Resource Group, Disability Pride Month presents an opportunity to elevate neurodiversity, reflect on the progress we’ve made, and recommit to serving students and families with dignity, empathy, and insight.

A Brief History: The ADA and the Fight for Rights

Disability Pride Month traces its origins to a watershed moment in U.S. civil rights history: the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, 1990. This landmark legislation prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including employment, education, transportation, and public accommodations.

The ADA didn’t emerge overnight. It was the result of decades of advocacy, protest, and organizing by individuals with disabilities and their allies. Movements like the 504 Sit-in of 1977 and the Capitol Crawl of 1990, in which activists left their wheelchairs and crawled up the steps of the U.S. Capitol, highlighted the urgent need for legal protections and public accountability. The passage of the ADA was a historic achievement that enshrined disability rights into federal law and redefined accessibility as a matter of civil rights, not charity.

Since then, the ADA has paved the way for greater awareness and accommodations in schools, workplaces, and communities. It has also helped shift the cultural conversation from one of limitations and deficits to one of inclusion, advocacy, and pride.

Where Do ADHD and Learning Disabilities Fit In?

Although Disability Pride Month is often associated with visible disabilities, it’s equally important to recognize invisible disabilities like ADHD, dyslexia, and other learning disabilities. These diagnoses fall under the ADA’s broad definition of disability, which includes physical and mental impairments that substantially limit one or more major life activities.

That means individuals with ADHD and learning disabilities are legally entitled to accommodations, protections, and support, whether in the classroom, the workplace, or other public settings. However, these individuals are often overlooked or misunderstood. Their needs may not be immediately visible, and their strengths may go unrecognized.

ADHD, for example, is a neurodevelopmental condition that impacts attention, impulse control, and executive functioning. Learning disabilities like dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia affect specific academic skills like reading, writing, or math. These are not indicators of intelligence or effort; they are differences in how the brain processes information. But without proper understanding and support, students with these diagnoses can face stigma, exclusion, and chronic frustration.

At the ERG, we work every day to change that narrative. Neurodivergent students are creative, capable, and resilient; with the right interventions, they can thrive. Whether through executive function coaching, specialized academic programs, or psychoeducational assessments that identify cognitive strengths and challenges, we aim to give families the tools to navigate both the education system and the broader world with confidence.

Why Disability Pride Matters

Disability Pride isn’t just about awareness; it’s about honoring identity, community, and a sense of belonging. It pushes back against ableism, the assumption that non-disabled ways of thinking, learning, or moving through the world are inherently superior. And it reminds us that disability is not something to be pitied or “fixed,” it’s something to be recognized, understood, and included.

For individuals with ADHD and learning disabilities, Disability Pride Month can be deeply affirming. It creates space to say: My brain is different, and that’s something to value. It allows parents to see their child’s diagnosis not as a failure, but as a gateway to deeper support, insight, and possibility. It also enables educators, clinicians, and advocates to reflect on how they can better support all learners, not just the ones who fit into traditional molds.

At the ERG, we’re proud to support students who learn and think differently—and to stand with the broader disability community in championing dignity, strength, and pride.

This July, let’s celebrate every learner. Let’s make space for every brain. And let’s continue to build a world where disability isn’t hidden or feared, but seen, supported, and embraced.

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