July has always been a special month for AbleOTUK. It is Disability Pride Month, but it is also our birthday month. This year marks five years since a group of disabled and neurodivergent occupational therapists, students, educators and researchers came together with a simple belief: we belong in our profession, our lived experience matters, and disabled people should have the same opportunities to engage in meaningful occupations, including the occupation of being an occupational therapist.
Five years on, we are proud of what has been achieved.
Not because the work is finished, but because we have shown what is possible when disabled people create spaces for one another, support one another and lead change together.
At its heart, AbleOTUK has always been about occupation. The opportunity to learn, work, volunteer, lead, study, create, campaign and connect should not be limited by inaccessible environments or ableist attitudes. Disability Pride reminds us that everyone has the right to participate in occupations that bring meaning, purpose and identity.
Since launching in July 2021, AbleOTUK has grown far beyond what we first imagined. Together we have:
- Created a national network of disabled and neurodivergent occupational therapists, students, educators and researchers.
- Presented at conferences, universities and professional events across the UK and beyond.
- Influenced the Royal College of Occupational Therapists through expert advisory groups and collaborative work.
- Published articles, blogs and resources that have challenged ableism and promoted anti-ableist practice.
- Supported disabled students and practitioners through placements, mentoring and peer support, helping them remain engaged in the occupations that matter to them.
- Promoted reasonable adjustments that enable people to participate fully in education, employment and professional life.
- Contributed to national discussions on disability rights, education and professional practice.
- Amplified the value of lived experience within occupational therapy.
Looking back, it is not the number of events we have held or presentations we have delivered that makes us most proud. It is the occupations that have become possible because people found AbleOTUK. Students who stayed on their courses. Practitioners who felt confident to request reasonable adjustments. Members who became volunteers, speakers, researchers, educators and leaders. Every conversation has helped create opportunities for disabled occupational therapists to participate more fully in the occupations that matter to them.
Most importantly, we have shown that disability and professional identity are not contradictions.
Five years ago, many of us were looking for people like ourselves. Today, students and newly qualified occupational therapists can see disabled clinicians, educators, researchers and leaders who are proud of who they are. That visibility matters because it expands what people believe is possible. It reminds us that disability is not a barrier to becoming an occupational therapist or to building a meaningful career within the profession.
But Disability Pride Month is not simply about looking backwards.
There is still much to do.
Disabled people continue to face barriers in education, employment and healthcare. Ableism remains embedded within systems and attitudes. Many occupational therapists still struggle to access reasonable adjustments. Too often, disabled people are consulted after decisions have already been made rather than being involved from the beginning. These barriers restrict not only opportunities but also people’s ability to participate in the occupations that give their lives meaning.
The next chapter for AbleOTUK is not simply about representation. It is about leadership.
It is about ensuring disabled people can participate in every occupation they choose, whether that is studying to become an occupational therapist, leading research, influencing policy, delivering clinical care, volunteering within their communities or taking on leadership roles. Accessibility should never determine what occupations are possible.
We will continue promoting anti-ableist practice. We want disabled occupational therapists to influence education, research, policy and professional standards. We want future students to enter a profession where accessibility is expected rather than exceptional. We want workplaces where asking for reasonable adjustments is normal and where disabled people do not have to hide parts of themselves to succeed.
As we celebrate Disability Pride Month and five years of AbleOTUK, we are grateful to everyone who has been part of this journey. To those who founded the group, those who joined us later, our allies and supporters, and those who quietly read our posts and realise they are not alone.
A Brief History of Disability Pride Month
Disability Pride Month has its roots in the disability rights movement in the United States. July was chosen to mark the anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, landmark legislation recognising the civil rights of disabled people.
Over time, Disability Pride has become about far more than legislation. It celebrates disability identity, culture, history and community while recognising that pride and struggle can exist side by side. Disability Pride is not about pretending barriers do not exist. It is about rejecting shame and recognising disability as a natural and valuable part of human diversity.
In the United Kingdom, Disability Pride Month has developed more organically. Rather than having one national organiser or official theme, disabled people, charities, and organisations have increasingly used July to celebrate disabled voices, challenge ableism and continue the fight for equality.
Disability Pride also aligns closely with the values of occupational therapy. Pride is about more than identity. It is about having equitable opportunities to participate in everyday life, develop skills, build relationships, contribute to communities and engage in meaningful occupations. When disabled people are excluded from occupations because of barriers rather than impairment, everyone loses.
This year feels particularly significant. Conversations about welfare reform, access to services and disabled people’s rights remind us that progress is never guaranteed. Rights that have been fought for can also be lost. Disability Pride Month reminds us that disability rights are human rights and that lasting change happens when disabled people and allies work together.
This July, we are proud to celebrate both Disability Pride Month and the fifth birthday of AbleOTUK.
On Monday, 27th July 2026, we will be holding our AbleOTUK 5th Birthday Celebration and Learning Event. Together, we will reflect on our journey over the last five years, celebrate what we have achieved and look ahead to the opportunities and challenges still to come.
Whether you have been with us since the beginning or have only recently discovered AbleOTUK, we would love you to join us.
Because Disability Pride is not simply about celebrating identity. It is about protecting and expanding opportunities for disabled people to participate in the occupations that matter, to influence the professions they belong to and to shape a more accessible future.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of the AbleOTUK story so far.
Happy Disability Pride Month 2026.
We belong here. And we’re here to stay.
AffinOT 