By Nadia Geagea Pupa, SD/PEN Past President

Did you know that July is Disability Pride Month? It was first celebrated in July of 2015 and each year it has grown bigger and bigger.  On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed and it quite literally changed everything. It broke down barriers to inclusion and set the stage for greater recognition of disability rights by prohibiting discrimination in several ways.

As editors, what does this mean for us? Lately, I’ve been seeking out books by writers with disabilities or stories with disability representation. This is my way to amplify these voices. Through storytelling, we can inwardly reflect, examine our own biases, and ultimately educate ourselves about disability issues. I recently read Hannah Bartlett’s blog post that lists several recommended books to read this month, and it’s an impressive list! I’ve already read a few of the books on this list and I plan to continue adding more this month.

Taking it a step further, we can carry the spirit of Disability Pride Month in our editing endeavors. We can speak up and share our concerns if they arise when editing all types of projects. This dovetails into using conscious and inclusive language. When in doubt, we should always ask! It’s that simple. There is no harm in asking people how they prefer to be identified.

A few years ago, I learned how to make PDFs accessible and marveled at the concept of checking color contrast ratios. I briefly wrote about this in a previous President’s Message in the SD/PEN Member newsletter, “HapPENnings.” At first, I was intimidated and overwhelmed by the task of making documents and websites accessible. I even had a case of imposter syndrome, but little by little, I discovered a new skill that would ultimately make a difference. Knowing that I helped in a small way encouraged me to keep going.

Take a moment to reflect on the Disability Pride flag which has four specific elements to it.

  1. The black background is a symbol of mourning. We mourn those who have suffered from ableist violence.
  2. The diagonal lines suggest cutting across barriers that separate the disabled from society. They also represent solidarity within the disability community.
  3. The five colors represented in the flag relate to the variety of needs and experiences. Red represents (physical disabilities), gold (neurodivergence), white (invisible and undiagnosed disabilities), blue (psychiatric disabilities) and green (sensory disabilities).

Now more than ever, we seek authenticity in everything, from writing to art, and even in people we meet. So, when we seek books with disability representation, it gives us a more authentic perspective—not an ableist one that defines people by their disabilities. Instead, by reading these books, we’re promoting narratives that showcase people with disabilities who are living full, multifaceted lives.

If you’re interested in learning what it takes to work with neurodivergent writers, check out episode 19 of The Editor’s Half Hour podcast. I interviewed Rebecca Scharpf (Scrollworkedits.com) who shares insight into ways editors can improve their systems to accommodate neurodiverse clients. Visit: www.piquepublishing.com/podcast to view or listen to this episode.

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