Disability Pride Month: A Year of Growth, A Lifetime of Pride

Last July, I wrote about what Disability Pride Month means to me as a wheelchair user with Cerebral Palsy. I spoke about embracing who I am, challenging misconceptions and recognising that disability isn’t something to be ashamed of. A year later, those words still ring true but my understanding of pride has grown.

For those who may be new here, I have Cerebral Palsy (CP). The easiest way I’ve ever found to explain it is this: imagine the brain is like a telephone exchange. The messages know where they need to go, but some of the wires have become tangled, meaning they don’t always reach the right destination. For me, that affects my movement, balance and coordination, which is why I use both a manual and a powered wheelchair.

But CP doesn’t define everything about me.

I’m a traveller, a sports fan, someone who loves concerts, adventures and spending time with family and friends. I’m also someone who has spent the last year pushing myself far outside my comfort zone.

If there’s one thing this past year has taught me, it’s that pride doesn’t always look like confidence.

Sometimes pride is walking or rolling into a gym where you’ve convinced yourself you won’t belong. It’s asking questions, adapting equipment and discovering you’re capable of far more than you ever imagined.

Sometimes it’s travelling while knowing there will probably be accessibility challenges along the way, but refusing to let that stop you from seeing the world.

Sometimes it’s sharing your life online, not because everything is perfect, but because representation matters.

When I started posting more about my gym journey, I hoped it might encourage one or two people. What I didn’t expect were the messages from disabled and non-disabled people saying it had changed how they thought about disability, or given them the confidence to try something new themselves. That’s the power of visibility.

Last year I wrote that disability is simply one part of who I am. I still believe that wholeheartedly.

I don’t wake up every morning thinking about my disability. I think about what meetings I have at work, where I want to travel next, whether I’m going to beat a personal best in the gym. My disability comes with me through all of those experiences, but it doesn’t stop me from living them.

That doesn’t mean life is barrier-free. There are still inaccessible places and there are still assumptions about what disabled people can and can’t do. There are still moments where simple things become unnecessarily complicated because accessibility wasn’t considered from the beginning. Those barriers can be frustrating, but they also remind me why Disability Pride Month matters.

It gives disabled people the opportunity to tell our own stories instead of having them told for us. It reminds people that disability isn’t something to pity or “overcome”. The real challenge is often the barriers created by society, not our disabilities themselves.

This month isn’t about pretending disability is easy, it’s about recognising the resilience, creativity and determination that so many disabled people demonstrate every single day, not because we’re inspirational, but because we’re navigating a world that wasn’t always built with us in mind.

I’m incredibly proud of how far I’ve come over the past year and not because I’ve reached some final destination, but because I keep saying yes to opportunities that once felt impossible. Whether that’s building strength in the gym, travelling to new places, or simply becoming more comfortable taking up space exactly as I am.

If my journey has taught me anything, it’s this: you don’t have to change who you are to belong.

Disability Pride Month isn’t about being proud despite having a disability, it’s about recognising that our disabilities are part of us. They shape our experiences, our resilience and our perspective, but they never define our potential.

So this July, let’s continue celebrating disabled voices and keep challenging outdated assumptions. Let’s keep making spaces more accessible and more inclusive and if you’re disabled and reading this, I hope you know this:

Your disability is not something to hide.

Your story matters.

Your voice deserves to be heard.

And you belong exactly as you are.

Happy Disability Pride Month. 💚