Disability Pride and Culture

What is Disability Pride? 

Disability pride and culture may mean different things to different people. This is a timeline of celebrations we hosted to help you navigate our journey exploring disability pride. We have been exploring disability pride and culture for as long as we can remember, even before the internet! This history goes as far back as 2012, but here is an oldie and a goodie from 2008, our 10th anniversary of celebrating disability pride and culture.

10th Anniversary, Speaking out for Disability Pride

Disability Pride Parade 2008 Footage

2024

We are busy planning Speak Out 2024. Stay tuned! 

2023 Out and About

For 2023, we celebrated at the Calgary Scope Society office, and our theme was "Out and About." We were excited to visit with each other, celebrate gender diversity, and launch our new campaign called "Queerly Disabled." This year, we celebrated "Out and About" over several months, and our grand finale was held at the Alex Community Food Centre. 

2022 Story Telling using our senses

For 2022, we are co-hosting with the Alex Community Food Center. We are exploring the power of storytelling using our senses to pull out powerful stories that celebrate disability pride and culture, relationships, housing, income, and services. Stay tuned for some sensational stories! 

2021 Disability Lens, A Calgary for all

For 2021, we hosted a City Councillor forum using a disability lens. You can learn more about it by visiting our posts section. 

2020 What is disability pride?

For the International Day of Disabled Persons 2020, we made this video: What is disability pride? Here is a link to our December 3, 2020 video. 

Who better to tell you than members of the Disability Action Hall?

Basic Income, Speak Out 2019 

For our 2019 Speak Out, we joined forces with many partners to host a conference at the Calgary Public Library. We met with many people from around the province. If you would like to learn more about the "Mobilizing Basic Income in Alberta" effort,  Visit Basic Income Calgary's website to learn how to join. 

However, we were also lucky enough to join in with Disability Pride Alberta for the 2019 walk down Stephen Avenue. Check out the many stories on Disability Pride Alberta's website. 

Disability Pride Parade, 2018 

For our 20th year of celebrating disability pride and culture. We made the celebration more enormous than ever! 
A new website has been created to help make this the best time ever! You can see the photos and messages about disability pride from June 3 on Disability Pride Alberta's site. 



http://disabilitypridealberta.com/

Humanity and Me, Speak Out 2017

Our 19th annual""Speak Out 201"" was called""Humanity and Me"" On June 2, 2017, we looked back at what we had done to help shape Alberta into a better place for all. This year's celebration was at the Lougheed House, 707 13 Avenue SW. 

Tickets on Eventbrite 

One of the day's features was a pop-up gallery. The gallery shared stories and artifacts from the past that helped shape Alberta's human rights and quality of life.

Have a look at this pride commercial called "I define me." It was created by people with disabilities about disability pride. This commercial was part of our social messaging campaign exploring disability pride and culture. A group of people from the disability arts created the messages. We made t-shirts, buttons, banners, and even a big bus ad and this commercial.   

The Right to Dream, Speak Out 2016

Last year's (2016) disability pride and culture celebration, known as ' Speak Out'' was called "The Right to Dream." 
If you want to see highlights from the day, click on the top right corner of the photo below (three dots) to open a new tab. 

Held at 'The Artbox 17E' 1807, 42 Street SE. 

 

The Right to Dream! Speak Out 18 - Friday, June 3, at the Artbox!

Eat, Cook, Grow Speak Out 2015 

Last year's Speak Out 2015 was called "Eat, Cook, Grow" and was held at Twin Views Communal Gardens. We had a great time! Photos can be found here.

Eat, Cook, and Grow in a celebration of Food Security!
We are celebrating our connections to eating, growing & cooking!

The Right to Play - Speak Out 2014 

Wow, what a day!  

photo link

Thank you to all the fantastic people who made this day unforgettable! 

International Day of Disabled Persons, December 3, is coming. Stay tuned for more details to come! 
But until then, check out what we did last year at the celebration!!! 

Every year, we celebrate our diversity, culture, shared identity, and stories. 

This year, we held a''Pride, Powered by Pecha Kucha'' series at the Jack Singer in Calgary, Alberta. Thank you to all the fabulous speakers, supporters, and sponsors who made this event possible. 

Pride: Powered by PechKucha 2013 

For our 15th anniversary of the Disability Action Hall
We celebrated big in 2013! 

We had a quality-of-life parade in June, and for "International Day of Disabled Persons 2013," we hosted Pride: Powered by PechaKucha! PechaKucha means chitchat.'' 

See the videos here!  

This artistic format began in Japan, where we speakers took on the challenge of speaking to 20 slides, 20 seconds each! 
Click here to view all eight presenters. Why not visit the official PechaKucha site?
Feel free to visit the official site and the International Day of Disabled Persons website for Calgary.

Disability Pride Parades!

We held our 15th Annual Disability Pride parade on Friday, June 7, 2013. This year, we discussed quality services and the need to protect our services! To see photos of the Quality of Life parade, visit our online album! 
Media coverage  Calgary Sun, June 10, 2013

Photos courtesy of Calgary Sun, June 7, 2013, photo by Jim Wells, Article written by Bill Kaufmann, June 7, 2013

Celebrating Quality of Life at Olympic Plaza in Calgary, June 7, 2013

"“Quality of Life"” Speak Out Pride Parade 2013 - Friday, June 7, 2013

Wear rainbow colours! 

Noon- 3:30 pm
Parade Step off at Olympic Plaza - 228 8 Ave SE at 12 pm
The parade ends at Vertigo Theatre- 115 - 9 Avenue S. 1:30-2 pm.
Enjoy performances by Momo at 2-3:30 pm - pay what you can. 

  

 

Speak Out Parade down Stephen Avenue! Join us for our 15th Annual Pride Parade.

 

International Day of Disabled Persons, 

Monday, December 3, 2012

This year's 2012 International Day of Disabled Persons celebrates accessibility.''
was held on Monday, December 3, 2012, at noon at Devonian Gardens! People brought colourful scarves and big smiles. We want to thank our flash mob partners: Momo Mixed Ability Dance, Inside Out, and the City of Calgary. Thank you so much. 

Links to media coverage and photos:

Photos of IDDP
Media Coverage:  
Calgary is Awesome,""A Very Important Day is just around the corner""
Calgary Metro
City of Calgary website  and on Flickr

Flashmob At Devonian Gardens, photo courtesy of Jacqui Soppit

Disability On the Move - Speak Out 14, 2012

Thank you to all for this year's Speak Out 14 -
Disability On the Move held on Friday, June 1, 2012
Calgary, Alberta.

Disability is not a dirty word.

Speak Out 1" "Disability on the Mo"e" was another great success. We celebrated as citizens on the move! We are celebrating our ability to move around in our City with mobile performances, walks, ta, and links in films! 

Our three performance groups surprised Calgary with a glimpse of disability culture on the move!
Performances b" "Inside Out Theat"e" on the West Leg LRT," "Momo Dance Theat"e" on the Eastbound LRT, and a walking tour of downtown LRT with artist Sharon Stevens. We learn about spare cherished by the disability community.
Then, we had some fun at the drumming circle and finished off our outside tour at the John Dutton Theatre in our downtown Memorial Park library. Several community groups had tables in the lobby on display. We then began the celebration with some songs and greetings from the library.
We were also joined by:

• Deputy Mayor Gael MacLeod, 

• MLA Kent Hehr, 

• The Calgary Sexual Health Centre, 

• Women Together Ending Poverty,

• The Women's Centre of Calgary 

• Musician Silver

• Calgary Poverty Reduction Initiative

• Push To Open Society

• Poets, Dan, and repeat performances by Inside Out, Momo Mixed Ability, and a film by the OLovelove Calgary Tour. 

What a show!!
Click here for pictures of the event! 
Thank you to all the volunteers, Calgary Transit, City of Calgary, Calgary SCOPE Society, Persons with Developmental Disabilities Calgary Community Board, and the generous efforts of the Disability Action Hall for making this day possible!

Weblinks to our partners who help make this day as fun as possible:

Calgary Public Library
Calgary Sexual Health Centre 
Inside Out Theatre

Momo Dance Theatre
Picture this film festival

Push to Open

Sharon Stevens OX Project, A Crash Course in Loving Calgary

How we celebrate disability pride

For nearly 25 years, we have been loud and proud.

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