As Disability Pride 2026 is coming to a close, let’s pause on the Early Day Motion (EDM) submitted to the UK Parliament on 6 July to draw attention to disability inclusion:
‘EDM 522: That this House
- celebrates Disability Pride Month, an annual opportunity to recognise the identities, culture, achievements and contributions of disabled people across the United Kingdom and around the world;
- notes that the Disability Pride movement, which originated in the United States, was established in the UK in 2015 and has continued to grow through community-led events and campaigns;
- further notes that around twenty five per cent of the population are disabled, making disabled people the largest minority group in the country;
- believes that disability is a natural and valued part of human diversity and that everyone should be able to live with dignity, equality and pride;
- acknowledges the barriers, discrimination and stigma that many disabled people continue to face in everyday life;
- and commends the work of disabled people, Disabled People’s Organisations, campaigners, advocates, allies and community groups across the UK in advancing equality, challenging discrimination and promoting disability pride, visibility and inclusion throughout society.’
Source: https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/66248/disability-pride-month
While I am thankful to the MPs who sponsored and supported this motion, it is sobering that, at the point of writing, only 15 MPs seem to care about the issue.
Granted, EDMs are not the most potent parliamentary tool, mostly acting as a way to flag issues. Still, for context, the EDM with the most supporters this year garnered 169 signatures (incidentally, this EDM is also about an inclusion issue: the EHRC’s draft guidance on same-sex spaces).
If you are involved in disability inclusion, consider encouraging your MP to sign this motion.
As the text highlights, ‘around 25% of the population are disabled, making disabled people the largest minority group in the country’. Disability inclusion matters. A lot.
#EDI #DisabilityPride #DisabilityInclusion #Disability #Inclusion
