They crawled the steps. We carry the legacy.
Every July, we join disabled people, families, and advocates across the country to celebrate Disability Pride Month. At Mercyland Healthcare, this month is not separate from our mission. It is a direct expression of it. “Empowering every individual to live with dignity and purpose” is more than our tagline. It is a promise we make to every person we support, and Disability Pride Month is a chance to say it out loud, together.
Why July?
Disability Pride Month falls in July because July marks the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). President George H. W. Bush signed the ADA into law on July 26, 1990. The first Disability Pride Day was held in Boston that same year. It took another 25 years for the celebration to become an official, nationwide month, first observed in July 2015 on the ADA’s 25th anniversary.
This year’s national theme, chosen by The Arc’s National Council of Self-Advocates, is “The World Works Better With Us.” The idea is simple. Inclusion is not a favor we do for disabled people. It is what makes schools, workplaces, transportation, and community life work better for everyone.
A movement born blocks away
For those of us who serve the Washington, D.C. community, this history is not distant. It happened right here. On March 12, 1990, more than 1,000 disability rights activists marched from the White House to the U.S. Capitol. When they reached the building, about 60 of them set aside their wheelchairs, crutches, and other mobility aids. They pulled themselves up the Capitol’s marble steps by hand. Some climbed all 83 steps to the top.
The demonstration became known as the Capitol Crawl. The grassroots group ADAPT organized it to protest the barriers disabled Americans faced every day, and to press Congress to stop stalling on the ADA. One of the youngest marchers was eight-year-old Jennifer Keelan. The protest, and the attention it drew, is widely credited as the final push that carried the ADA to passage just months later.
That history is part of the ground Mercyland stands on. The people we support in the District live that legacy every day, through In-Home Support, Host Home Service, Individualized Day Services, Employment Services, and our other programs. Those very steps were climbed less than four miles from our office.
What pride looks like at Mercyland
Disability Pride Month asks us to see disability differently. Not as something to overcome or fix, but as a natural and valued part of who we are as people. For us, that starts with language. We call the people we serve “our persons,” never clients and never patients, because the words we use shape the respect we show.
It also shows up in how we work. We build services like Host Home and Behavioral Support around each person’s own goals, not around a checklist. And we use this month to lift up the voices, achievements, and everyday leadership of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in our community.
We call the people we serve “our persons,” never clients and never patients. The words we use shape the respect we show.
Follow @mercyland_healthcare for stories from our community all month long, and reach out to learn more about our services. Call us: 202-525-1563. Visit: mercylandhi.com
