F is for flag. The disability pride flag was created by Ann Magill, a member of the disabled community. She registered the flag under International Public Domain and has waived all copyright to it so that it is more accessible for all.
Here is what the disability pride flag stands for:
- The Black Field: A color of mourning; for those who have suffered from Ableist violence, and also rebellion and protest.
- The Zigzag/Lightning Bolt: How disabled people must navigate barriers, and the creativity in doing so; breaking free from normative authority and body control
- The Five Colors: The variety of needs and experiences (Mental Illness, Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Invisible and Undiagnosed Disabilities, Physical Disability, and Sensory Disabilities
- The Parallel Stripes: Solidarity within the Disability Community and all its differences.
Update: Ann Magill’s flag has been known to cause seizures in some people with disabilities so I have switched this out for a redesigned version by Tumblr user Capricorn-0Mnicorn.
Where do you think the disability pride flag should be flown? Personally, I’d love to see it incorporated into company logos and other visual merchandising that would allow people with disabilities to know where we’ve already been considered. It’s so tiring to go somewhere that isn’t really accessible, and I really hate giving my money to ableist organizations…and there are many.
F is for Frida Kahlo. Frida is regarded in the disability community as an outspoken role model, especially for her time. You may remember Frida as a Mexican artist with a unibrow or Diego Rivera’s wife but she painted the majority of her work as a woman with multiple disabilities. I recommend checking out more on Frida as she was a badass in so many different ways. I personally love her diary that’s been published. It’s a beautiful illustration of her mind.