Liberty Belongs to All of Us

Every July, Disability Pride Month gives me a reason to pause and reflect. It reminds me how far we've come as a disability community and how much farther we still have to go. It reminds me that people with disabilities have fought for the right to live in our communities, direct our own lives, communicate in our own ways, and be recognized as full human beings with dignity, value, and purpose.

For many people, the word pride can feel complicated. But Disability Pride Month is not about believing people with disabilities are better than anyone else. It is about refusing to be ashamed of who we are. It is about recognizing that disability is a natural part of human diversity and celebrating lives that have too often been overlooked or underestimated.

When I hear the word liberty, I don't just think about fireworks or history books. I think about the freedom to make decisions about my own life.

Word cloud of positive words with a red heart reading LOVE on a textured white wall, including perspective, play, enjoy, family.

Supported Decision-Making has become one of the greatest expressions of liberty I have ever experienced. It doesn't mean I make every decision alone. It means I choose the people I trust to help me understand my options while keeping the final decision in my hands. That is freedom with support, not freedom taken away.

I also think about the Olmstead decision, which affirmed that people with disabilities have the right to live in their communities instead of being unnecessarily segregated in institutions. Community living is more than a policy. It is the opportunity to build friendships, have careers, volunteer, travel, laugh, make mistakes, and contribute our gifts alongside everyone else.

Lately, I've been thinking about how quickly the conversation around disability seems to be shifting. More and more, disability is being viewed primarily through a healthcare lens instead of an education and civil rights lens. I've even heard conversations about special education moving closer to the healthcare system.

That should make all of us pause.

Education is about learning, growing, communicating, making choices, discovering your strengths, and preparing for life in your community. Healthcare is essential, but its purpose is different. When disability is viewed only as something to manage medically, the goal can quietly shift from helping people live full lives to simply maintaining life.

My goal has never been just to exist.

My goal has always been to live.

That difference matters.

Because when we lower expectations in education, we also lower expectations for employment, communication, relationships, self-determination, and community living. That's exactly why disability rights matter. They remind us that people with disabilities deserve more than services. We deserve opportunities, high expectations, and the freedom to build lives of our own choosing.

These victories matter because liberty matters.

My disability is part of my story, but it is not the whole story.

I am more than a diagnosis. I am more than the assumptions people may make about me. I am a woman, a communicator, a friend, an advocate, a business owner, and someone who believes every person deserves the opportunity to build a life of their own choosing.

The world is quick to hand us labels. Some are helpful. Some are limiting. But no single label can capture everything a person is or everything they have the potential to become.

That's why self-determination matters.

Every person deserves the opportunity to make choices, take reasonable risks, learn from experience, and shape their own future. Independence doesn't always mean doing everything alone. Sometimes it means having the right support while remaining the person in charge of your own life.

I will continue speaking for Supported Decision-Making. I will continue advocating for communication access. I will continue promoting community living, equal opportunity, and the belief that disability rights are human rights.

Because every person deserves to be seen, heard, respected, and included.

So this Disability Pride Month, I celebrate liberty.

I celebrate the progress our community has made.

 A smiling young person in a red shirt and gray hoodie hands money to someone across a table filled with colorful Easter baskets and treats during a neighborhood event. Other adults and a child stand nearby outside a brick home, creating a warm, welcoming community atmosphere.

I celebrate every person who fought so future generations could experience greater freedom.

I celebrate every AAC user who found their voice, every family who chose support over control, every self-advocate who refused to give up, and every person who continues opening doors for someone else.

For a long time, I thought independence meant doing everything on my own.

Then I realized something important.

Real freedom isn't about never needing support.

Real freedom is having the opportunity to choose your own path, surround yourself with people who respect your choices, and write your own story.

That is what it means to be proud and free.