Disability Pride Month is celebrated every July and is a month dedicated to celebrating those with disabilities and all they can do in spite of their conditions.
But disabilities are not always visible — so the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program stepped up to make a symbol to help.
“Did you know there are … upwards of 900 invisible challenges that can limit someone’s participation or accessibility,” said Clare Kumar, the regional director for the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program.
The sunflower was chosen because it is a subtle way to indicate that a person may need some extra assistance.
For those with invisible disabilities, this can make the world of a difference.
“It’s life-changing. To be able to know that you can go into a space and that you’re going to be met with people who are trained in understanding what the sunflower means, and then we’ll offer assistance. So this concept of psychological safety and feeling like you belong — it’s incredible,” said Kumar.
Elizabeth Tikoyan designed an app called ‘Healp’ to create a community for those with chronic illness and disability.
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Tikoyan feels community is the most important aspect of managing a chronic illness, reminding people they don’t have to face things alone and there is still life to live after a diagnosis.
“There are people in this world that are like the top of the creme de la creme of society that have disabilities. And there’s no shame in it. We just need people to know, like you’re not alone. You can make an amazing life with this.,” said Tikoyan.
Both companies agreed that Disability Pride Month is important to raise awareness and end the stigma.
“We need more of you to be open so that we can change the perception of society and how they see us. And if we never have you opening up about your disability, we will never be able to change the perception that we all have as a community, ” said Tikoyan.
“It’s just so powerful to shift our thinking away from bias, assumptions, negativity bias, false consensus effect, all these things that help us kind of fill in blanks with inappropriate assumptions. And it’s helping us really put in the pause,” said Kumar.
The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission said in a statement that disability is common and will affect nearly all of us at some point in our lives.
It added Disability Pride Month is an opportunity to celebrate the history, experiences and contributions of persons with disabilities. It is also a time to promote understanding about disability issues and raise awareness about the many barriers people with disabilities continue to face.
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