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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING JULY AS DISABILITY PRIDE MONTH
WHEREAS, Disability Pride Month is celebrated annually in the month of July, highlighting the history, culture, and achievements of individuals with disabilities, and commemorates the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, 1990; and
WHEREAS, technology that is used readily in our day-to-day lives can be traced to the disability community; and
WHEREAS, voice assistants commonly used to set timers, were created for blind individuals to navigate their surroundings; and
WHEREAS, electric toothbrushes were originally designed to assist individuals with limited grip strength and coordination; and
WHEREAS, ramps used for wheelchair access also alleviate strain for those with wagons, luggage, and strollers; and
WHEREAS, Cook County led the way toward disability equity when Chicago disability rights advocates, led by Mike Ervin, won a landmark civil rights case requiring CTA buses to install wheelchair lifts in 1988 -- a win that gave momentum to efforts to pass the ADA; and
WHEREAS, Disability Pride Month originated as a daylong celebration that took place in Boston in 1990; and
WHEREAS, Cook County has been home to a number of prominent disability rights activists including Marcia Bristo, founder of Access Living and fierce advocate for accessible public transit; Justin Dart Jr., a decades-long champion within the disability rights movement and is often heralds as the “father of the ADA;” and
WHEREAS, Chicago hosted the first Disability Pride Parade in 2004, which has grown to nationwide events of celebration and empowerment; and
WHEREAS, Cook County Disability Pride Month serves as a backdrop to uplift the significant contributions made by individuals with disabilities who are from Cook County, including Senator Tammy Duckworth, visual artist Matt Bodett, Project Onward multimedia artist William Douglas, and DJ and music producer Frankie Knuckles; and
WHEREAS, Cook County commits to adapt its programs, funding, and infrastructure to meet the needs and abilities of individuals through programming, reform, and investment; and
WHEREAS, Cook County’s Long Range Transportation Plan promotes equal access to opportunity by providing compliant facilities that can be utilized by citizens with disabilities; and
WHEREAS, Cook County’s Department of Transportation and Hughways commits to designing the existing streets and intersections to provide enhanced mobility for bicycling, walking, transit, seniors, families with young children and those with disabilities by adding bike lanes, sidewalks and improved compatibility with bus traffic; and
WHEREAS, Cook County Offices Under the President (OUP) has released and implemented the Language Access Policy, designed to provide guidelines and resources for employees to use to provide accessible and responsive services to address language access, disability access, and digital equity including universal sign-language interpreters; and
WHEREAS, the Cook County Human Rights Ordinance prohibits the discrimination or harassment on the basis of a person's race, color, sex, age, religion, disability, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, military discharge status, source of income (including use of a Housing Choice Voucher), housing status, gender identity, criminal history, bodily autonomy, pregnancy status, ethnicity and caste, and encourages individuals to file a complaint with Cook County Department of Human Rights and Ethics if they are a victim of discrimination due to disability; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Cook County Board of Commissioners to hereby celebrate and recognize July as Disability Pride Month; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the President and the Cook County Board of Commissioners does hereby recommit to strengthening the advancement of equity for persons with disabilities the across Cook County. end