The City of Somerville has officially designated July as Disability Pride Month and July 26th as Americans with Disabilities Act Day.
By Parker Garlow
The City Council voted Thursday to designate July as Disability Pride Month and July 26 as Americans with Disabilities Act Day. The city of Somerville will continue to commemorate those dates annually.
Passed on July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that people with disabilities be provided equal access to employment, government services, public transportation, public businesses, and communications.
“I remember the excitement of the early days. [Somerville] commission [for People with Disabilities] “We were so excited when the ADA was passed,” said Chair Helen Corrigan. “The passage of this legislation was the culmination of years of advocacy by local, state and national groups. It was our Massachusetts Senator, Ted Kennedy, who led the effort and pushed it through Congress.”
Since then, several cities have celebrated Disability Pride Month with events such as parades and flag raisings. Somerville will officially participate for the first time. Celebrations will kick off with a flag raising ceremony on July 11 at 5 p.m.
While this is the first year the city council has commemorated Pride Month, it’s not the first time Somerville has recognized the obstacles faced by people with disabilities.
Former Mayor Eugene Brune recounted an incident when he spoke to a group of seniors and invited them to his office to discuss their concerns. “I’ll never forget a man in the back of the room who said, ‘Mayor, I’ve never seen the inside of City Hall, and I never will, because I’m in a wheelchair. Even if I could get through the front door, I couldn’t get into your office,'” Brune said. In response, he asked the public works director to build ramps to make City Hall more physically accessible, and he created a committee for people with disabilities.
The committee’s work is ongoing. In addition to planning events for Pride Month, the committee works throughout the year to review legislation (such as the recently passed Safe Streets Ordinance), provide education opportunities for the public, and discuss the physical accessibility of new and renovated buildings.
Another of their recent goals is to have accessible swing sets in all playgrounds, which they hope to achieve by July 1.
Committee chair Holly Simion introduced Carly, a 4-year-old girl who is unable to use most swing sets due to a disability. “This little girl has been wanting a swing set since last August,” Simion said. “Her sweet mom has done everything she can to get just one new swing set installed in the park so that when Carly turns 4, she’ll have access to a swing set that’s right for her.”
“Even if we have to work for Carly for a few more months, the committee is committed to achieving this goal so that she and her friends have a place to swing together,” Simione said.
Ward 4 Councillor Jesse Clingan voiced the council’s commitment to continue working with the commission to advance the rights of people with disabilities.
“There is still much work to be done,” Clingan said. “We must continue to create environments where people with disabilities can thrive and reach their full potential. This means we need to improve physical accessibility, proven accessible transportation options, and ensure that our public spaces, facilities and events are fully inclusive.”