Disability Pride Month

During July, we’ve been celebrating Disability Pride Month. What started in the United States in 1990 has become a global movement of empowerment and visibility for those with disabilities.

In 2017, 6.2 million people in Canada aged 15 or older had a disability. For mental health-related disabilities, the prevalence was just over 30%.

At the Mental Health Commission of Canada, we want to see an end to the shame and stigma associated with mental illness and mental health problems. So what can we do?

• Dispel common mental health myths and misconceptions whenever and wherever we find them
• Use accurate and respectful language
• Improve our mental health literacy with training like Mental Health First Aid
• Build inclusive and supportive workplaces
• Get the facts on how structural and self-stigma are experienced by individuals with mental health or substance use disorder in Canada
• Challenge our own stigma through free, online training programs like Understanding Stigma and Structural Stigma in Health Care

Join the conversation online – use the hashtag #DisabilityPrideMonth

Image description — Each colour of the Disability Pride Flag represents a different type of disability: physical (red), cognitive and intellectual (yellow), invisible and undiagnosed (white), psychosocial (blue), and sensory (green). The charcoal background symbolizes mourning and rage for the victims of ableist violence and abuse, and the colored bands are placed diagonally to convey persons with disabilities “cutting across” societal barriers.