Celebrating Disability Pride Month

July is Disability Pride Month, which celebrates disabled persons embracing their disabilities as integral parts of who they are and commemorates the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was signed into law in 1990.

Disability pride means accepting and honoring each person’s uniqueness and seeing it as a natural and beautiful part of human diversity. This year’s theme, “We Want a Life Like Yours,” comes from The Arc’s National Council of Self-Advocates and reflects the disability community’s dreams for life experiences that they are too often denied.

As co-lead of Commvault’s CapAbilities Employee Resource Group (ERG), I wanted to share my perspective on what this year’s theme means to me and how we can honor and celebrate this community:

• Start each day with a level of gratitude for the things I take for granted.
• Lean in and listen to the stories of others who have struggled with disabilities and discrimination and learn how to be the change I want to see in the world.
• Teach my children to acknowledge and include those with disabilities. I’m so proud to see my daughter living these values in her school and our local community – we see and hear how wonderful she is with the students in special education. We know this is partly because of the education we provide her, but also because of her amazing heart.
• We are starting to build a hiring process and internal infrastructure to enable us to hire more individuals with disabilities and make the environment one where Vaulters can share their disability and be comfortable doing so.

Here at Commvault, celebrating Disability Pride Month demonstrates our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as we recognize, support, and celebrate our Vaulters with disabilities. It is our CapAbilities ERG’s mission to raise awareness and break down the bias of workplace issues that affect people with disabilities and/or caregivers of those with a disability. It is equally important to be an ally to our disability community to create an environment where all our Vaulters feel valued and respected. 

Click here to learn more about our DEI efforts at Commvault.