Submitted by Project Access on Tue, 07/28/2015 - 12:22
Michelle Kraus shouts slogans to support disabled people while taking part in the disability pride parade in New York.

Thousands of people marched through the streets of New York on Sunday for the city's first Disability Pride Parade.

People in wheelchairs and with guide dogs and parents carrying their disabled children marched during a hot day through the centre of Manhattan after mayor Bill de Blasio kicked off the event.

The event, subtitled Inclusion, Awareness, Visibility, saw people carrying signs asking for better access to public transport and housing.

"Disabled and proud," read a sign carried by a woman in a wheelchair.

A man carried another sign that read "Just because I can't speak doesn't mean I don't have a lot to say".

Other signs demanded police stop killing disabled people, an issue recently in the spotlight in the country after police arrests ended in disabled peoples' deaths.

De Blasio said July was "Disability Pride Month" in honour of the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

The march, organised by the city, is scheduled to be an annual event.

Disability Pride Parades have been held across the United States and around the world in locations including Norway, South Korea and the UK.

The first Disability Pride Day was held in Boston, MA in 1990.

Photo credit
Eduardo Munoz
Original Published Date
City
New York
Source
Institution
ABC