THE DISABILITY PRIDE MURAL, at the corner of Main Street and East Foster Street, was painted by Follow Your Art Community Studios.
MELROSE — The Melrose Commission on Disability and the City of Melrose announces the first annual Melrose Disability Pride Month celebrations as an event series during July.
All residents in the Melrose community and beyond were welcomed to join these events in celebration of the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Melrose Disability Pride Month activities included:
Monday, July 8: Unveiling of the Disability Pride Mural, at the corner of Main Street and East Foster Street, painted by Follow Your Art Community Studios.
Thursday, July 11, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the Melrose Farmer’s Market, West Emerson and Vinton streets: Children’s book reading from local author James Norris and co-sponsored by Handi Capable Fitness and Pop-Up from the Melrose Public Library. Mr. Norris has written two children’s books on disability, “Feeling Left Out” and “Feeling Accepted: Coast to Coast”. ASL interpretation will be provided.
Saturday, July 20, from 10 a.m. to noon, at Melrose Highlands Congregational, 355 Franklin St.: Panel discussion with Disability Commission members, who will share updates on the commission’s work, and the perspectives of commission members on ensuring that Melrose is fully inclusive and welcoming to all people with disabilities. ASL interpretation will be provided.
“We are so excited about these inaugural events Disability Pride events in Melrose, which we hope becomes an annual tradition,” said David Hoff, commission chair. “Too often, there has been a focus on disability as something that should be hidden or ignored, resulting in stigma and discrimination. It is so great to see this movement and message that disability is something to be proud of as part of the everyday human experience.”
July is designated as Disability Pride Month. It is the 34th anniversary of the signing of the Americans for Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, 1990. That same year Boston held the first Disability Pride Day in the United States to celebrate the new civil rights granted to people with disabilities. Melrose is excited to unite our community with this celebration!
The ADA is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in all aspects of everyday live. The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability just as other civil rights laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion. The ADA is designed to ensure that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to enjoy employment opportunities, purchase goods and services, and participate in state and local government programs. Learn more at: www.ada.gov/topics/intro-to-ada
The City of Melrose joins other communities across the United States in the celebration of the 34th commemoration of the ADA as it continues the work of the city to be One Community Open to All.
