What is Disability Pride Month?
July is Disability Pride Month. It’s a month to celebrate each person’s uniqueness and open up conversations around stigma, discrimination and the contributions of disabled people.
We continue to work hard as an organisation, and as part of the wider occupational therapy community, to improve accessibility and ensure everyone feels a sense of belonging in the profession.
Our logo
As we did for LGBTQIA+ Pride Month, we've changed the ‘O’ in our RCOT logo for Disability Pride Month. The flag we’ve used is the updated disability pride flag from 2021 designed by Ann Magill.
The ‘O’ in our logo represents our identity as an organisation, and we want show solidarity with, and pride in, our disabled members, staff and people everywhere.
What we're doing
We want to thank members of AbleOTUK, the Expert Advisory Group, the RCOT Colleague Network and RCOT members who have worked with us to help make our work more equitable and accessible over the last few years.
Look out for an upcoming article in July’s OTnews from Georgia Vine, AbleOTUK Founding Member, and Head Ambassador at CP Teens UK. She reflects on a lifetime of living in an ableist society and urges us all to recognise what systemic ableism means.
You can find more of the incredible work and blogs AbleOTUK are putting out on their Twitter and Facebook channels across the month! Give them a follow!
In this month, it may be good time to reflect on our Equity, Diversity and Belonging startegy and action plan, which sets out our priorities and aims between 2024–2027. This strategy is based on the views and needs of our members, staff and stakeholders. It has been carefully co-created with people with direct experience of, or insights into, the discrimination and disadvantages faced by members and the communities and individuals they work with.
You can also find accessible versions of the strategy.
We hope you are able to take the opportunity to learn celebrate throughout Disability Pride Month.