At noon on Sunday, July 12, New York City’s first ever Disability Pride parade will commence at Madison Square Park, traveling down Broadway to Union Square Park to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The all-volunteer nonprofit group Disability Pride NYC worked with the Mayor’s Office of People with Disabilities to establish the event.

Expect an “extravaganza” on the big stage featuring performances from disabled musicians, dancers, comedians and stars of TV, stage and screen. Elected officials will also be in the wings.

We were alerted to the event by Dustin Jones, advocate and board member of Disabled in Action, a civil rights organization working to end discrimination against disabled New Yorkers in multiple arenas, including education, employment, health care, housing, and public accommodations.

The founder and president of the Disability Pride movement is world renowned jazz pianist Mike LeDonne, whose daughter, Mary, was born with a very rare syndrome called Prader-Willi and another condition called hydrocephalus. In 2012 Mike started the wheels in motion to create a Disability Pride Day, an annual event like any other ethnic parade in the New York City.

People of all abilities are welcome.

Proudly Send The News To Your Friends And Followers (below) – Photo by Feggy Art, CC

