Book Suggestions for Disability Pride Month

What is Disability Pride Month? It’s an opportunity to learn about, highlight the triumphs of, and work to address the needs of disabled people. It’s celebrated in July because the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law in July 1990. The ADA was an answer to the activism and advocacy of the Disability Rights Movement, which began in the 1960s. Today, many countries around the world recognize and celebrate Disability Pride Month.

Disabled activist Ann Magill designed a Disability Pride Flag in 2016. That version caused eyestrain and other problems for some disabled people. The version you see here was created in 2021 to address those concerns. Just as each color on the LGBTQIA+ Pride Flag represents a different idea, colors on the Disability Pride Flag represent different concepts as well:

Green Stripe: Sensory disabilities (such as anosomia (loss of taste or smell), blindness, or deafness)
Blue Stripe: Emotional and psychiatric disabilities
White Stripe: Undiagnosed and invisible disabilities
Gold Stripe: Neurodiversity
Red Stripe: Physical disabilities
Charcoal grey background: Mourning for people who have died due to ableist violence, abuse, suicide, and illness

Below, you’ll see book recommendations for each stripe. As with my previous book lists, every cover is linked to its entry in our catalog, so you can easily request a copy for yourself.