By Shannon Meilak
Victoria made history this July, raising the Disability Pride flag for the first time during Disability Pride Month. I was honoured to speak at the event alongside fellow advocates, with DRC Advocacy members, Brimbank’s mayor, and councillors in attendance.
When promoting this event, I was sadly reminded that ableism still exists in our society. The lack of understanding and respect that non-disabled people show us, is the reason why we needed to raise this flag, and why we must continue to do so.
The flag-raising is about being visible. Many disabled people still feel unseen and the changes we need are not forthcoming. Raising this flag serves as a reminder that we are here, we are the 20%, and we matter. It’s about creating awareness within the non-disabled community, and to provide disabled people a platform to be heard.
Whilst some may view this as tokenism, it’s important to understand why the disability community wants to raise a flag and participate in pride celebrations. Not long ago, we saw homosexuality decriminalised and same-sex marriage legalised; changes fuelled by early pride parades and rainbow flag-raisings. If meaningful changes like these can be made for the Queer community, then why not also for the disability community?
For me, Disability Pride is not only about celebrating our community, but is a commitment of non-disabled people to advocate for change. It’s an ongoing commitment to engage with us and to adapt accordingly—no excuses.
What our community needs is for non-disabled people to accommodate and include us, so we can truly engage with society. Will you stand with us, or stand in our way?
