Dear fellow King County employee,

July is Disability Pride Month, a time to celebrate the pride people with disabilities have in themselves and their many successes and contributions to our workforce and community.

Disability Pride Month coincides with the anniversary of the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, better known as the ADA. The ADA has created civil rights protections and better access for people with disabilities. Disability Pride builds upon the legacy of the ADA with the demand for visibility, acknowledgement, and acceptance from society.

Disability spans all races, genders, ages, socioeconomic status, religions, and geographic regions, and Disability Pride Month is also an opportunity to celebrate people’s disabilities and their overlapping identities.

In our work to become a pro-equity and anti-racist government, it is important to value the diversity and unique skills and experiences that every person brings to this region, and everything that they do to make King County a more welcoming, inclusive, and successful community.

King County’s Disability Awareness Committee is hosting a couple of events during Disability Pride Month, and I encourage you to learn more and join in the celebrations at these events:

Film Viewing and Discussion | Monday, July 11, 1-2:30 p.m.

The King County Disability Equity Network and the Disability Awareness Month Committee, co-hosted by Superior Court, will watch and discuss the Sundance Festival award-winning documentary “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution.” Please register in advance for this event.

Disability Pride Day | Tuesday, July 26, 12-1 p.m.

Join Anita Whitfield, King County’s Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer, and King County employees in celebrating disability pride as we honor and recognize the contributions of persons with disabilities through the lens of equity. All King County employees are welcome and encouraged to participate in Disability Pride Month events. This event is co-sponsored by the King County Disability Equity Network, King County Disability Awareness Month Committee, and the Office of Equity and Social Justice. Please register through NEOGOV Learn in advance for this event (get login help here).

Happy Disability Pride Month.

Sincerely,

Dow Constantine (he/him/his)
King County Executive