In my time at Legal Counsel for Youth and Children (LCYC), something I have appreciated is how enthusiastically they support the passions and talents not only of their clients but of their team. So, when I approached LCYC about writing something for Disability Pride month, they not only supported the idea, but thanked me for being willing to share my perspective.
This blog post may seem different from other LCYC posts because it draws mainly from personal reflection, but I hope it still serves to inform and expand knowledge of how disability justice and youth access to justice are intertwined. Being born with a disability and having navigated the legal and social benefits systems in my youth, I was drawn to LCYC’s legal internship because I knew it would give me a chance to harness my personal experiences and the knowledge I have gained in law school.
July was Disability Pride month and thus provided me with an important opportunity to reflect upon what disability pride means to me and the ways the legal community could be more accessible and inclusive to people with disabilities. As a disabled woman, one of the main ways I experience disability pride is by allowing myself to embrace the term “disabled” as an identity and as a source of community. Yes, my disability has been met by stigma and inaccessible spaces, but it also has allowed me (and in many cases forced me) to build up my problem-solving skills and to grow in empathy.
Through community activism I have found not only friendship but immense learning and a deeper understanding of disability and access to justice. An example of how this community learns and grows together is the updated Disability Pride flag.
Image description: A visually safe disability pride flag. A charcoal grey rectangular flag with a diagonal band from the top left to bottom right corner, made up of five parallel stripes in red, gold, pale grey, blue, and green
The new visually safe Disability Pride Flag was a collaborative effort by the original designer, Ann Magill, a disabled woman, and the larger disabled community. The community encourages the use of the new flag because the prior “lightning bolt” flag was known to cause a strobe/flicker effect when scrolled on electronic devices, and in doing so could trigger seizures, migraines, disorientation and other types of eye strain.
The symbolism of the flag also has special significance:
Black background: Mourning, rage, rebellion, protest and an acknowledgement for those who have experienced ableist violence
Five Colors: The variety of needs and experiences
Red: Physical disabilities.
Yellow: Cognitive and intellectual disabilities.
White: Invisible and undiagnosed disabilities.
Blue: Mental illness.
Green: Sensory disabilities
Parallel Stripes: Solidarity within the Disability Community
Diagonal: “Cutting across” barriers that separate disabled people
Many don the flag, either on their person or their social media, to show their disability pride or to demonstrate an understanding of what the disability community represents.
In the context of legal access to justice, the barriers that the law and social benefits pose are exacerbated for youth and even more so for youth with disabilities. I remember when I applied for social security disability income and emancipation, I had to invest hours of time on top of my studies to not only better understand the entry point into the process, but also meeting with doctors to prove the extent of my disability, interviewing with the social security administration and checking in with my school counselor. I was lucky I had adults in my corner through the process that were immensely supportive and understood that I experienced more from my disability than just the negative. However, more often, I was met by adults who forced me to boil my disability down to all the things I could not do. I felt overwhelmed and vulnerable. At a time when I was starting to embrace my disability, I was being forced to fixate on the purely “bad” elements of it. But, the system does not allow much room for nuance or feeling. Furthermore, without the time and resources I was fortunate enough to count on, many find the barriers to be insurmountable. I hope to play a part in changing that.
I am the disability activist I am today, pursuing my legal career because of my personal and professional experiences navigating the systems that most impact youth with disabilities. I am grateful to be working with LCYC because it feels like I am not only investing in my future, but also retroactively accompanying my younger self through the process as I work with clients.
Moving through the world as it currently exists, one that was not designed with vulnerable populations like the disability community in mind, I have found that positive change comes from harnessing collective impact and embracing individual strengths. I am proud to be disabled and to be able to use my lived experiences to hopefully nudge the legal system (and beyond) to be more inclusive and accessible to all people.