Disability Pride Month Takes Center Stage at Brooklyn Borough Hall

Disability Unite, a disability-rights coalition advocating for equitable services and accessibility, was joined by Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso on Thursday to celebrate Disability Pride Month at Brooklyn Borough Hall.

The annual event honors the nearly one million New Yorkers who have disabilities and recognizes the ongoing fight to create equitable opportunities and access for the disability community, according to a news release. 

“Disability Pride Month is a reaffirmation of our commitment to universal access and inclusion,” said Reynoso. “All Brooklynites unequivocally deserve a city that empowers mobility, access, and agency. All too often, however, New York’s nearly one million residents with disabilities are left without the infrastructure, services, and resources that allow our city to be enjoyed to the fullest. From our parks and public housing to our schools and sidewalks, I will always fight for Brooklynites’ ability to live their lives joyously, freely, and without anything getting in their way."

The celebration featured an American Sign Language musical performance by Kimberley Sue and remarks by Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities Christina Curry, MTA Chief Accessibility Officer Quemuel Arroyo, Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon, adaptive marathon runner Michael Ring, disability rights activist and historian Warren Shaw, as well as other disability community advocates.

“The disability community is the largest minority, and the only community anyone can join at any time,” said Matt Axel, director of Disability Unite. “When we advocate for disability rights we are advocating for human rights. When we gather as a community, it's a truly intersectional gathering of all communities. And when we celebrate disability pride, we are celebrating the incredible individuals and groups in Brooklyn and across NYC, that make ours the greatest city in the world.”  

Afterwards, participants joined a training on disability inclusion led by the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled, a grassroots organization led by and for people with disabilities. The workshop focused on why peer support within the disability community is important and how the BCID’s Disability Warmline program can offer a safe space for disabled New Yorkers to talk about their unique experiences and feelings, staffed by trained peers with disabilities.