@AbleOTUK #DisabilityPrideMonthBlogs – Disability Rights Isn’t Just a Trend #BeAnAbleOTUKAlly

Every Monday thought out July on of AbleOTUK will post a blog.

Monday 3rd July

Happy Disability Pride Month! Disability Pride Month is pretty special to us here at AbleOTUK because as well as celebrating all the disabled joy we get to celebrate AbleOTUK’s birthday! Two whole years since we launched, can you believe it? We’ve done a lot in those two years.

The team here at AbleOTUK vary, some of us have been in practice for many years whilst others are only newly qualified. I (Georgia) qualified in 2021 and have huge respect for the more experienced members of the team and feel so lucky that AbleOTUK has been here for the last two years and will always be here throughout my career. I also acknowledge and appreciate how many years occupational therapists with lived experience have been trying to set up something like AbleOTUK.

Yet, AbleOTUK has a platform now and we must continue to strive forwards. Yes, it’s a shame it took until 2021 to get set up but there’s still work to be done going forwards. As a disabled activist, I receive comments about how far disability rights have come often when I explain what I do, and it always leaves me with a bittersweet feeling especially when it comes after a ‘but’.

Here is the Disability Pride Flag (I know, I know we talk about it a lot over the month but just me explain my point). The charcoal background represents those who have endured ableist violence which for some has resulted in death (a more detailed image description in alt text). Meaning that of course, a huge part of the month is remembering those that took great sacrifices to better the lives of those in the disabled community. As a Generation Z woman, I am hugely grateful for all the work many brilliant disabled activists have done in the past and I do feel lucky to be part of a generation that is a lot more accepting of disability.

But, we have to stop using how far we’ve come as an excuse to not do the work we still have to do! Yes, disability rights have come a long way but we still have quite some work to do, which is why here at AbleOTUK we are always looking forwards. Like, I’ve said it is a shame it took until 2021 to get here but we cannot deny that we’re still needed and there’s still a lot of work that must be done moving forwards. 

In March this year the AbleOT Expert Advisory group, mostly, made up of members  from AbleOTUK took a trip to the People’s History Museum in Manchester to see the ‘Nothing About Us Without Us’ exhibition. We all had so many reflections from the exhibition which you can see in our OT Magazine Article. A main reflection was how in some respects disability rights have gone backwards such as disability representation in the media. Yes, in the 80s disability representation in the media was a lot more prevalent than it is now and movements like the ‘P*** on Pity’ movement going full steam ahead targeting shows like the BBC’s Children in Need.

Disability rights, isn’t just a trend and neither is Disability Pride Month, it is at the forefront of everything that we do here at AbleOTUK all year round. Yes, this month is about celebrating disability and spreading disabled joy loudly and proudly! But it is also your opportunity to #BeAnAbleOTUKAlly, learn from us, do your research, reflect on your actions going forward, and live in the present. So this Disability Pride Month be the change you want to see and most importantly be the change the disabled community wants to see. 

So, what are you going to educate yourself on this month and how are you going to #BeAnAbleOTUKAlly? What are you going to take forwards and continue to strive towards to be the change both you and the disabled community want to see by Disability Pride Month 2024?

Thank you for reading,

Georgia x