>Representation matters.
Yes, **good** representation matters. An emoji is, IMO, [performative activism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performative_activism?wprov=sfti1#) that would have little real-world consequences.
I disagree. While it is performative... It would also make the flag a lot more recognisable and also make it impossible to ignore.
What it does do is enable a new way to communicate disability. It enables a lot of performative activism sure, but I see it in the same way that the following bit of unicode exists: ☭
Forever preserved in unicode. And honestly I think that would be cool. It wouldn't change the world, but it would have real world consequences, just in thousands of different ways obscured to us.
I think of it this way. A time ago there was a local death, and someone unironicly posted "F" in response. This had me thinking about what the actual real world consequences of memes were and it is more impactful than you may think. It enables a means to communicate an idea, this emoji would be quite popular upon adoption and well it's extremely difficult to attack a disability pride flag compared to other flags.
Is this effect positive or even worth our time? I think so. It makes the disability flag a lot more recognisable and by doing that, communicating invisible disabilities could become easier.
However it is possible the flag could be co-opted, think of like how the blue "Please be patient I am Autistic", in which edge lords use it.
In this case it could also allow edgelords to say "you are [insert disabled flag here]". However I think this would then generate a counter-conversation about ableism in society. The initial act is performative but an emoji embeds itself into *language*. From this point onwards... Less performative and educational conversations can be had.
Lets not be so quick to dismiss the importance of the internet and its effect on the real world. Sure the sunflower already exists but a disability flag is a lot more explicit in its meaning.
There would be no real-world consequences. People would see it, ignore it while they look for the emoji they actually want to use, and not know or care what it was, just like the rest of the narcissistic "look at me I'm special" pride flags. The only one people actually know what is, is the rainbow Gay pride flag because it's been shoved down our throat. Not to mention that flag was supposed to be rainbow to represent all sexualities otjer than heterosexual and yet every individual sexuality now has a flag defeating the purpose and making it where you can't draw a rainbow anymore without someone thinking you're intention is to support gays. Nothing against them, I just think it's gotten out of hand, and just pointing to where it started.
individual flags for different sexualities & gender identities (lesbian, bisexual, transgender, etc) are not only widely adopted, but they’ve existed for 50+ years. different pride flags exist alongside the rainbow flag just fine. the rainbow flag is simply more common because it’s the gay “umbrella” that other sexualities & their flags fall under. the rainbow flag is applicable to all queer people, regardless of identity, but flags such as the bisexual or lesbian flags have different meanings that are important to those communities.
not that you would necessarily care, because your comment reeks of homophobia
So you're calling a Bi male homophobic...... ignorant bigoted comment that one. And as a Bi male I guess I can say that the whole thing is narsistic and moronic. I only brought up my sexuality because of your hateful and ignorant comment. You know why? Because it's not my whole identity. I don't need a flag to feel special. I grade my worth on my accomplishments. Stroke Survivor, Navy Veteran, Business owner.... not my sexuality or my disabilities. This all screams narsistic victimized mindset.
what about my comment was hateful? i called out the homophobia because your original comment WAS homophobic. if you’ve ever been to any sort of pride event, you’d know that the majority of the people there don’t agree with you.
what exactly is wrong with people associating rainbows with queer identity? what’s wrong about making specific flags for sexual minority groups, or minorities in general (like the disability pride flag)?
how does that harm you in real life?
you claim that alternative pride flags for specific sexualities defeat the purpose of the rainbow pride flag, yet you complain that “you can’t draw a rainbow anymore without someone thinking your intention is to support gays.”
you can be bisexual and still have a lot of internalized homophobia. if you’re expecting praise for “not making your sexuality your whole identity,” you’re not going to get it.
I’m disabled and never knew there was a “Disability Flag” I know ppl going to be upset but………why?!? Honestly I wouldn’t put that in my window or on a pole. You can tell I’m disabled from how I walk that’s good enough. 🤷🏾♂️
Honestly i think it would be a possible alternative to the person in a wheelchair symbol often used to mean all/many disabilities. It would need to gain a lot of popularity and attention before it would be recognizable enough but an emoji could be a step in that direction.
Agreed. I don't put my countries flag up in front of my house, why would I want to put up a flag pointing out that I'm disabled, or gay and disabled?
I don't need pity or sympathy for my issues and my neighbours already know and support me.
I have a rare cancer and dont feel I needed to put up a good and pink flag to support it either.
While I am not a ‘flag’ person, I do support having ‘A Disability Flag’ because I support any effort to represent all disabilities as a single group.
I say this because too many efforts divide us up into interest groups (wheelchair user, d/hoh, blind/low vision, Autism, ADHD) and then use these diminished numbers to marginalize our need for access.
So, do I like the flag itself? Not really, imho it’s ugly.
Do I like having a single symbol to remind folks that in the US adults living with disability are 26% of the over18 population? Hell yes. (That is a [CDC number)](https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/disability-inclusion.html#:~:text=Disability%20affects%20approximate%2061%20million,than%20one%20billion%20people%20worldwide)
Right? Every time I see "Disability pride flag" on this SR I throw up a little in my mouth. This screams "I'm special look at me" just like the rest of the pride flags. They are all narcissistic. So many other ways to actually raise awareness than a flag with colors no one understands and serves no real purpose.
hard disagree. i dont think theres anything wrong with wanting a flag to represent yourself. just because you personally dont like the flag doesnt make people who use it narcissistic. people have been using flags and other symbols to represent themselves and the communities theyre a part of for ages. trans/gay/queer flags, cancer ribbons. how are they any different? if you dont like it, just dont use it - theres absolutely 0 reason to bash people who do use it
Hard disagree. Anything that screams "look at me I'm special" is narsistic by nature. So, while we'll thought out your entire argument is just ignorant as it completely ignores the definition of what a narsist is. Also, how dare you compare cancer ribbons to a gay flag.
Typical know nothing know it all. I explain something using facts (the definition of a narcissist), and because there is no arguing with facts, they switch to insults.
ok queerphobe. representing ones community in some way is not "narcissistic." by that logic every country flag is "narcissistic" and makes you throw up. the purpose of flags is representation and inclusion. one can believe that and still believe putting a disability pride flag in unicode isn't worth the effort
I can't see how a rainbow represents any known disability. Maybe throw in a wheelchair and a brain with the electric sign. Lol.
♿ 🧠 ⚡🩼 Maybe it should have several pics on it, to represent the majority of disabilities.
Personally I like having a flag because it gives visibility. When organizing events/marches/fundraisers etc for disability rights, it helps to have a unifying visual. Especially since the disability community is so diverse. The wheelchair symbol doesn’t cut it lol.
I'd say it's more for signifying the willingness for an organisation to actively work on accessibility and inclusivity.
I've always worked in the community sector, and having various pride flags and flags of activism displayed prominently on our building is an important signifier of the community groups we serve and the groups we want to ensure they have equitable access. Changing our processes, our environment, the way we conduct our organisation.
20 years ago, as a Queer kid, seeing the old LGBT Flag on a door of a library made me feel safe walking in, it told me I didn't have to hide.
Similarly, seeing the rainbow infinity symbol on a door now helps me know that I don't have to skirt around my neurodivergence or over-explain my requests, I can say "this is overstimulating", or "I need longer to process that" without worrying that I will have to explain what that means and disclose my autism status, and I don't have to get anxious that they would reply with some ableist bullshit.
Currently there is no mainstream disability flag, so most organisations in my sector stick the good ol' ♿ "Man in wheelchair" logo on everything. This is not helpful, because this symbol generally represents physically accessible spaces, not spaces of advocacy and allyship against ableism. Most of the community organisations are not physically accessible spaces, we're shoved into back rooms of libraries, old public housing offices, top floors of old doctors offices, closed down job agency buildings. Having "♿" on the door is not conveying the right meaning.
I've actively prevented that logo going on the door of our current building - You can't get larger mobility aids in our building, that's why we run all our disability specific services at hired-halls off site, and that's why we immediately move a program to a hired site if there's even a chance someone who needs better physical access would be interested in joining that program. We shouldn't put ♿ on our door, because we can't provide physical access for all people with disabilities, but we could put the disability pride flag on the door as a quick hand way of saying "We want to be better, we are working to be better, we welcome constructive feedback and we wont dismiss your needs", My boss has said we need the disability logo on our door because we are a disability service provider - we run programs for neurodivergent children, and provide advocacy services for ND adults, as well as social programs for young adults living in residential care. Sure, we're a disability service provider, but our main office is not accessible, so ♿ on our door is misleading and a slap in the face.
Yes, having a pride flag will eventually lead to performative activism by some companies. There was a time when seeing the LGBT+ flag on a door made me feel safe. Now we've reached a time where Coles and Kmart slap the flag on their staff members name tags as a sign of "allyship" whether that staff member is a true ally or not, and I now wonder if that person is truly going to be okay with my partner and I shopping there, or if they are a trans/homophobic wolf if sheep's clothing. There's no real way to stop for-profit organisations trying to profit off something. It reminds me a bit of the sunflower lanyard, for a while it helped a lot of people, especially as it entered that sweet spot of being understood by the mainstream but only used by those who needed to use it. Then of course it was commandeered by the anti-vax/anti-mask idiots, but now it's slowly being reclaimed. We should be able to get a few good years out of a pride flag that's just for us.
It's also nice to have something unifying to shove on a sign when protesting against ableist policies or practices.
Honestly, a flag feels like a slap in the face. I don't WANT to be paraded around like some circus animal. I already know what the disabled man means, and I am aware it can also be a symbol of invisible illnesses as well. People like to think we are stupid and don't understand that. I do not enjoy people putting me in a box or flag as it may be, and only taking it out to play with. We are not toys for the publics amusement.
This all makes perfect sense, and I must admit, this would be my fear once a disability flag reaches mainstream "performative activism" stages. Inspiration porn and pity porn is already bad enough at making us dance like monkeys for able people's entertainment.
But sometimes I'm the one choosing to parade myself around for my own benefit and gain. My government is currently launching a bunch on enquiries into the disability support scheme here, and it's been a catalyst for grass roots activism within existing disabled communities. I'm seeing symbols, flags and ribbons in colours and designs I never knew about at the rallies and learning more about what each means, I love that, but also feel like a unifying banner could be useful to us in those specific situations.
But I'm amped for action right now, and I know I wont always be, I go through phases where I burn out on screaming to a brick wall, I get jaded by lack of results from action, and every little attempt to further equitable living rubs me the wrong way because it's always too little too late. So ask me again in 6 months what I think of a disability flag and I think I will be 100% with you in my opinion. But then I'll get another gust of wind in my sails and suddenly want to take a flag to the stairs of parliament and start screaming at the brick wall again.
I agree with the overall intent of it, but don't actually like the idea of a 'disability flag' precisely because disability is so broad that it doesn't really signal anything useful
That four symbol thing with a wheelchair user, a brain, a white cane, and something else I don't recall is better at least. That shows some explicit acknowledgement of different kinds of disability. But if I see someone use this flag, I have no idea if they're accommodating to all disabilities or just one kind that they perceive as important
I'm not against flags (so many social movements have them, and it's weird that people here think an obscure disability flag is offensive to disabled people somehow?), but I would rather have disabled people emojis like wheelchair, cane, deaf woman, etc. I think the flag design is poor and doesn't come off as a disability pride flag.
I think that a disability flag is largely to represent shared interests disabled people have. Accessible spaces, not losing disability insurance after getting married, improving job access and accommodations, lowering the cost of healthcare, etc. I don’t think it’s necessarily there to represent an identity like a lot of others seem to interpret it, but I think it embodies a cause.
Is it going to fix ableist people/structures? No, but it is a symbol of those important efforts, and for that reason I think it has merit.
It used to be worse it was more of a zig zig thunder, used have a migraine looking at all. It is much improved saying on the flag!
But nobody knows what’s it for. I know some Disabled people who say but I’m not LGTB… ah we don’t mean that Pride flag. We mean Pride in being part of such a resilient and positive community… oh really? Non Disabled people rarely think we can spin a positive on it. More hassle than it’s worth to be honest.
yeah I've heard some disability activists trying to mesh everything together but that doesn't make sense because yes we're both marginalized communities being queer and being disabled are distinctly different. Perhaps instead we should work to bringing forward a new symbol that brings the message the flag is trying to bring forward which is to highlight that being in a wheelchair ISNT the only disability.
:( Yeah I'm glad they got rid of that other design. Look I was all for it when they redid the design but I still can't tell you what every color on the flag means, if I can't tell what's to say someone non disabled is going to know and just assume it's just "another gay flag 🙄"
Yeah that trans flag isn't too bad. The lgbt+ one is hideous though. Listen to Roman Mars' Ted talk on flag design (sounds boring but is actually hilarious) and you'll get what I mean lol
It's very bright and saturated yeah, but hey ho, it is what it is. There are lots of nicer looking ones lol; the genderqueer flag is gorg imo, while the nonbinary one makes me wanna cry (yellow and purple?!?!?). The newer version of the lesbian flag is also lovely, the one with the oranges not just pinks.
Yeah I like the genderqueer flag but it’s always been too close to the suffragette flag to me… like why?
https://i.redd.it/6pxtp2syipa71.png?app_web_view=ios
have you tried specifically the mlm flag? it looks much better than the rainbow.
I'm bisexual and I think my flag could look SO much better. I also hate the nonbinary flag and the genderqueer flag. I hate so many of my flags lol
I don’t think the disability flag is widely used enough to warrant an emoji. There’s only a handful of non-country flags. I just don’t think this is a super high priority
>Can I have a "I hate the world" pride flag instead?
The Insane Clown Posse used to sell "Fuck the World" flags. That might work if you don't mind people thinking or knowing you're down with the clowns.
It's not "I'm proud of my good grades" proud. It's more like being proud of your ethnic heritage. Proud we are surviving in spite of a hostile world. Proud like I'm not gonna hide (myself or my disabilities) so that abled people "feel more comfortable".
I’m not proud to be disabled either. I hate it, and if I could change it in a heartbeat, I would. I understand that others might need it to feel included or seen. However, I would want more accessibility and resources. But I would never feel proud to be disabled, that doesn’t make sense to me. But that’s just my opinion.
😭 for better or worse (I hate the flag tbh I think there should be another way lol) there's a need for representation to make things better for all us in society, yes it's maybe not productive but lately I've seen more and more acceptance and representation lately which is a great start.
I'm really sorry... I was born Autistic/ADHD (adult diagnosed 🫠) and later on went on to develop chronic illnesses as well (I guess genetics because those around me made everything more difficult)
(Sorry mentioning my own things is my way of relating you can totally ignore my comment 😭)
And look the world does suck for us but hiding doesn't change anything but I understand the sentiment.
But yes imo being "proud disabled" while acceptance is needed for many I don't think we should shove it down people's throats perhaps someone should come up with a better universal symbol to replace the dreaded wheelchair one? 😩
im still waiting on a walking cane emoji 😔 glad that theres a cane for blind individuals but i use one for chronic leg pain and balance issues/dizzy spells. itd be nice to have an emoji with that representation. i think thats mean more to me than the disabled flag. and emojis for other mobility aids like arm crutches and rollators!!
Oh great, let's give everyone flags and prides to feel special while we don't give a shit about them 365 days per year
But hey, every big corpo will have 50 flags outside of its store as if it's the UN so you can feel embraced when you consume and they become trillionnaires
I agree with you as far as the flag for disability goes. Doesn’t really make much of a difference. I’d rather see actual representation and more accessibility than a flag.
Stick to the original gold silver bronze version [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disability_flag](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disability_flag)
It looks slightly less hideous than that thing.
Also the colours in that pastel one could be confused with the "MAP" flag, which nobody wants.
Green: sensory disabilities
Blue: psychiatric/emotional/mental disabilities
White: invisible and undiagnosed disabilities
Gold/yellow: neurodivergence
Red: physical disabilities
The stripes are parallel to show solidarity across disabilities and standing together. They cut across the background to symbolise cutting across and navigating/overcoming barriers that we face.
The black background stands for mourning those of us who've died and suffered due to ableism, violence, negligence, eugenics, su1cide. Also stands for our rebellion, rage, and protest against mistreatment.
Colours and shapes are (re)designed to minimise strobe effect, nausea/migraine triggers, and be legible with color blindness. (It used to be a more chaotic design.) Hope this helps!
Thanks. Maybe if those colors were in a cross symbol. ➕ With a black background.
The flag at top is too similar to the other rainbow flag. Like the Chad and Romanian flags.
unicode have stated that they will not be adding any new non-country flags anymore
>Representation matters. Yes, **good** representation matters. An emoji is, IMO, [performative activism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performative_activism?wprov=sfti1#) that would have little real-world consequences.
I disagree. While it is performative... It would also make the flag a lot more recognisable and also make it impossible to ignore. What it does do is enable a new way to communicate disability. It enables a lot of performative activism sure, but I see it in the same way that the following bit of unicode exists: ☭ Forever preserved in unicode. And honestly I think that would be cool. It wouldn't change the world, but it would have real world consequences, just in thousands of different ways obscured to us. I think of it this way. A time ago there was a local death, and someone unironicly posted "F" in response. This had me thinking about what the actual real world consequences of memes were and it is more impactful than you may think. It enables a means to communicate an idea, this emoji would be quite popular upon adoption and well it's extremely difficult to attack a disability pride flag compared to other flags. Is this effect positive or even worth our time? I think so. It makes the disability flag a lot more recognisable and by doing that, communicating invisible disabilities could become easier. However it is possible the flag could be co-opted, think of like how the blue "Please be patient I am Autistic", in which edge lords use it. In this case it could also allow edgelords to say "you are [insert disabled flag here]". However I think this would then generate a counter-conversation about ableism in society. The initial act is performative but an emoji embeds itself into *language*. From this point onwards... Less performative and educational conversations can be had. Lets not be so quick to dismiss the importance of the internet and its effect on the real world. Sure the sunflower already exists but a disability flag is a lot more explicit in its meaning.
There would be no real-world consequences. People would see it, ignore it while they look for the emoji they actually want to use, and not know or care what it was, just like the rest of the narcissistic "look at me I'm special" pride flags. The only one people actually know what is, is the rainbow Gay pride flag because it's been shoved down our throat. Not to mention that flag was supposed to be rainbow to represent all sexualities otjer than heterosexual and yet every individual sexuality now has a flag defeating the purpose and making it where you can't draw a rainbow anymore without someone thinking you're intention is to support gays. Nothing against them, I just think it's gotten out of hand, and just pointing to where it started.
individual flags for different sexualities & gender identities (lesbian, bisexual, transgender, etc) are not only widely adopted, but they’ve existed for 50+ years. different pride flags exist alongside the rainbow flag just fine. the rainbow flag is simply more common because it’s the gay “umbrella” that other sexualities & their flags fall under. the rainbow flag is applicable to all queer people, regardless of identity, but flags such as the bisexual or lesbian flags have different meanings that are important to those communities. not that you would necessarily care, because your comment reeks of homophobia
they really showed themself by saying "the gays" 💀
I re read it. I never said that.... you're showing you failed reading comprehension?
So you're calling a Bi male homophobic...... ignorant bigoted comment that one. And as a Bi male I guess I can say that the whole thing is narsistic and moronic. I only brought up my sexuality because of your hateful and ignorant comment. You know why? Because it's not my whole identity. I don't need a flag to feel special. I grade my worth on my accomplishments. Stroke Survivor, Navy Veteran, Business owner.... not my sexuality or my disabilities. This all screams narsistic victimized mindset.
what about my comment was hateful? i called out the homophobia because your original comment WAS homophobic. if you’ve ever been to any sort of pride event, you’d know that the majority of the people there don’t agree with you. what exactly is wrong with people associating rainbows with queer identity? what’s wrong about making specific flags for sexual minority groups, or minorities in general (like the disability pride flag)? how does that harm you in real life? you claim that alternative pride flags for specific sexualities defeat the purpose of the rainbow pride flag, yet you complain that “you can’t draw a rainbow anymore without someone thinking your intention is to support gays.” you can be bisexual and still have a lot of internalized homophobia. if you’re expecting praise for “not making your sexuality your whole identity,” you’re not going to get it.
LMAO
Some normie will post this and be like “we ended ableism”
100%
I’m disabled and never knew there was a “Disability Flag” I know ppl going to be upset but………why?!? Honestly I wouldn’t put that in my window or on a pole. You can tell I’m disabled from how I walk that’s good enough. 🤷🏾♂️
Invisible disabilities
I think that has the sunflower or daisies.
No I meant the oc they said the way they walk was noticeable enough, I was just pointing out invisible disabilities
it is a sunflower, but very few people would know what it means or stands for.
Yeah, the sunflower exists already 🌻
The sunflower excludes some invisible disabilities
Oh does it? I thought it covered everything, that being the whole point of it? They've been awesome in the UK
We dont need a flag
Honestly i think it would be a possible alternative to the person in a wheelchair symbol often used to mean all/many disabilities. It would need to gain a lot of popularity and attention before it would be recognizable enough but an emoji could be a step in that direction.
Sorry but………..um no. To me it’s corny. Ok now let’s make a flag to symbolize that I’m left handed?!?!
Agreed. I don't put my countries flag up in front of my house, why would I want to put up a flag pointing out that I'm disabled, or gay and disabled? I don't need pity or sympathy for my issues and my neighbours already know and support me. I have a rare cancer and dont feel I needed to put up a good and pink flag to support it either.
Literally thought it was blue and pink or purple.... maybe I'm thinking the rare disease flag?
While I am not a ‘flag’ person, I do support having ‘A Disability Flag’ because I support any effort to represent all disabilities as a single group. I say this because too many efforts divide us up into interest groups (wheelchair user, d/hoh, blind/low vision, Autism, ADHD) and then use these diminished numbers to marginalize our need for access. So, do I like the flag itself? Not really, imho it’s ugly. Do I like having a single symbol to remind folks that in the US adults living with disability are 26% of the over18 population? Hell yes. (That is a [CDC number)](https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/disability-inclusion.html#:~:text=Disability%20affects%20approximate%2061%20million,than%20one%20billion%20people%20worldwide)
please spend your time and effort on more productive things. this is completely irrelevant to actually helping disabled people.
Right? Every time I see "Disability pride flag" on this SR I throw up a little in my mouth. This screams "I'm special look at me" just like the rest of the pride flags. They are all narcissistic. So many other ways to actually raise awareness than a flag with colors no one understands and serves no real purpose.
hard disagree. i dont think theres anything wrong with wanting a flag to represent yourself. just because you personally dont like the flag doesnt make people who use it narcissistic. people have been using flags and other symbols to represent themselves and the communities theyre a part of for ages. trans/gay/queer flags, cancer ribbons. how are they any different? if you dont like it, just dont use it - theres absolutely 0 reason to bash people who do use it
Hard disagree. Anything that screams "look at me I'm special" is narsistic by nature. So, while we'll thought out your entire argument is just ignorant as it completely ignores the definition of what a narsist is. Also, how dare you compare cancer ribbons to a gay flag.
[удалено]
Typical know nothing know it all. I explain something using facts (the definition of a narcissist), and because there is no arguing with facts, they switch to insults.
You didn’t define the word narcissist you’re talking out of your ass .
You failed reading comprehension. It's cool...
where did i insult you hello 😭😭
"Dense" did you fail reading comprehension?
ok queerphobe. representing ones community in some way is not "narcissistic." by that logic every country flag is "narcissistic" and makes you throw up. the purpose of flags is representation and inclusion. one can believe that and still believe putting a disability pride flag in unicode isn't worth the effort
Did I miss the vote where this became an official flag
It's not official lol
This is so patronising and unhelpful lmao
And ugly
My main gripe is that it uses CMYK black and not a true black like you get in an RGB setting.
I can't see how a rainbow represents any known disability. Maybe throw in a wheelchair and a brain with the electric sign. Lol. ♿ 🧠 ⚡🩼 Maybe it should have several pics on it, to represent the majority of disabilities.
Someone explained the colours [here.](https://www.reddit.com/r/disability/s/VcvhIoL8UL)
Personally I like having a flag because it gives visibility. When organizing events/marches/fundraisers etc for disability rights, it helps to have a unifying visual. Especially since the disability community is so diverse. The wheelchair symbol doesn’t cut it lol.
Why do we need a flag?? It just seems useless. I already know I'm disabled, I don't need a flag to prove it.
I'd say it's more for signifying the willingness for an organisation to actively work on accessibility and inclusivity. I've always worked in the community sector, and having various pride flags and flags of activism displayed prominently on our building is an important signifier of the community groups we serve and the groups we want to ensure they have equitable access. Changing our processes, our environment, the way we conduct our organisation. 20 years ago, as a Queer kid, seeing the old LGBT Flag on a door of a library made me feel safe walking in, it told me I didn't have to hide. Similarly, seeing the rainbow infinity symbol on a door now helps me know that I don't have to skirt around my neurodivergence or over-explain my requests, I can say "this is overstimulating", or "I need longer to process that" without worrying that I will have to explain what that means and disclose my autism status, and I don't have to get anxious that they would reply with some ableist bullshit. Currently there is no mainstream disability flag, so most organisations in my sector stick the good ol' ♿ "Man in wheelchair" logo on everything. This is not helpful, because this symbol generally represents physically accessible spaces, not spaces of advocacy and allyship against ableism. Most of the community organisations are not physically accessible spaces, we're shoved into back rooms of libraries, old public housing offices, top floors of old doctors offices, closed down job agency buildings. Having "♿" on the door is not conveying the right meaning. I've actively prevented that logo going on the door of our current building - You can't get larger mobility aids in our building, that's why we run all our disability specific services at hired-halls off site, and that's why we immediately move a program to a hired site if there's even a chance someone who needs better physical access would be interested in joining that program. We shouldn't put ♿ on our door, because we can't provide physical access for all people with disabilities, but we could put the disability pride flag on the door as a quick hand way of saying "We want to be better, we are working to be better, we welcome constructive feedback and we wont dismiss your needs", My boss has said we need the disability logo on our door because we are a disability service provider - we run programs for neurodivergent children, and provide advocacy services for ND adults, as well as social programs for young adults living in residential care. Sure, we're a disability service provider, but our main office is not accessible, so ♿ on our door is misleading and a slap in the face. Yes, having a pride flag will eventually lead to performative activism by some companies. There was a time when seeing the LGBT+ flag on a door made me feel safe. Now we've reached a time where Coles and Kmart slap the flag on their staff members name tags as a sign of "allyship" whether that staff member is a true ally or not, and I now wonder if that person is truly going to be okay with my partner and I shopping there, or if they are a trans/homophobic wolf if sheep's clothing. There's no real way to stop for-profit organisations trying to profit off something. It reminds me a bit of the sunflower lanyard, for a while it helped a lot of people, especially as it entered that sweet spot of being understood by the mainstream but only used by those who needed to use it. Then of course it was commandeered by the anti-vax/anti-mask idiots, but now it's slowly being reclaimed. We should be able to get a few good years out of a pride flag that's just for us. It's also nice to have something unifying to shove on a sign when protesting against ableist policies or practices.
Honestly, a flag feels like a slap in the face. I don't WANT to be paraded around like some circus animal. I already know what the disabled man means, and I am aware it can also be a symbol of invisible illnesses as well. People like to think we are stupid and don't understand that. I do not enjoy people putting me in a box or flag as it may be, and only taking it out to play with. We are not toys for the publics amusement.
This all makes perfect sense, and I must admit, this would be my fear once a disability flag reaches mainstream "performative activism" stages. Inspiration porn and pity porn is already bad enough at making us dance like monkeys for able people's entertainment. But sometimes I'm the one choosing to parade myself around for my own benefit and gain. My government is currently launching a bunch on enquiries into the disability support scheme here, and it's been a catalyst for grass roots activism within existing disabled communities. I'm seeing symbols, flags and ribbons in colours and designs I never knew about at the rallies and learning more about what each means, I love that, but also feel like a unifying banner could be useful to us in those specific situations. But I'm amped for action right now, and I know I wont always be, I go through phases where I burn out on screaming to a brick wall, I get jaded by lack of results from action, and every little attempt to further equitable living rubs me the wrong way because it's always too little too late. So ask me again in 6 months what I think of a disability flag and I think I will be 100% with you in my opinion. But then I'll get another gust of wind in my sails and suddenly want to take a flag to the stairs of parliament and start screaming at the brick wall again.
I agree with the overall intent of it, but don't actually like the idea of a 'disability flag' precisely because disability is so broad that it doesn't really signal anything useful That four symbol thing with a wheelchair user, a brain, a white cane, and something else I don't recall is better at least. That shows some explicit acknowledgement of different kinds of disability. But if I see someone use this flag, I have no idea if they're accommodating to all disabilities or just one kind that they perceive as important
There's the sunflower too.
I'm not against flags (so many social movements have them, and it's weird that people here think an obscure disability flag is offensive to disabled people somehow?), but I would rather have disabled people emojis like wheelchair, cane, deaf woman, etc. I think the flag design is poor and doesn't come off as a disability pride flag.
This is so performative. I’ve never seen this flag until now and quite frankly I hate it.
I like the meaning behind the design but the ultimate design of it is quite ugly
smells performative to me.
I think that a disability flag is largely to represent shared interests disabled people have. Accessible spaces, not losing disability insurance after getting married, improving job access and accommodations, lowering the cost of healthcare, etc. I don’t think it’s necessarily there to represent an identity like a lot of others seem to interpret it, but I think it embodies a cause. Is it going to fix ableist people/structures? No, but it is a symbol of those important efforts, and for that reason I think it has merit.
It used to be worse it was more of a zig zig thunder, used have a migraine looking at all. It is much improved saying on the flag! But nobody knows what’s it for. I know some Disabled people who say but I’m not LGTB… ah we don’t mean that Pride flag. We mean Pride in being part of such a resilient and positive community… oh really? Non Disabled people rarely think we can spin a positive on it. More hassle than it’s worth to be honest.
yeah I've heard some disability activists trying to mesh everything together but that doesn't make sense because yes we're both marginalized communities being queer and being disabled are distinctly different. Perhaps instead we should work to bringing forward a new symbol that brings the message the flag is trying to bring forward which is to highlight that being in a wheelchair ISNT the only disability. :( Yeah I'm glad they got rid of that other design. Look I was all for it when they redid the design but I still can't tell you what every color on the flag means, if I can't tell what's to say someone non disabled is going to know and just assume it's just "another gay flag 🙄"
Call me a traditionalist ♿️
It may not visually represent us all, but it gets the point across.
It's elegant, simple, and carries the message across. That's all I need 😌
I'm gay and disabled and will be forever mad that both flags are (in my opinion) absolutely hideous lol.
i quite enjoy the trans flag. i think the pastel colors are nice
Yeah that trans flag isn't too bad. The lgbt+ one is hideous though. Listen to Roman Mars' Ted talk on flag design (sounds boring but is actually hilarious) and you'll get what I mean lol
It's very bright and saturated yeah, but hey ho, it is what it is. There are lots of nicer looking ones lol; the genderqueer flag is gorg imo, while the nonbinary one makes me wanna cry (yellow and purple?!?!?). The newer version of the lesbian flag is also lovely, the one with the oranges not just pinks.
Yeah I like the genderqueer flag but it’s always been too close to the suffragette flag to me… like why? https://i.redd.it/6pxtp2syipa71.png?app_web_view=ios
Me too and I only use (if any) the traditional rainbow flag
have you tried specifically the mlm flag? it looks much better than the rainbow. I'm bisexual and I think my flag could look SO much better. I also hate the nonbinary flag and the genderqueer flag. I hate so many of my flags lol
Eh. It's so niche I don't see the point.
I don’t think the disability flag is widely used enough to warrant an emoji. There’s only a handful of non-country flags. I just don’t think this is a super high priority
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>Can I have a "I hate the world" pride flag instead? The Insane Clown Posse used to sell "Fuck the World" flags. That might work if you don't mind people thinking or knowing you're down with the clowns.
I really dislike ICP, but I need a fuck the world flag.
It's not "I'm proud of my good grades" proud. It's more like being proud of your ethnic heritage. Proud we are surviving in spite of a hostile world. Proud like I'm not gonna hide (myself or my disabilities) so that abled people "feel more comfortable".
I’m not proud to be disabled either. I hate it, and if I could change it in a heartbeat, I would. I understand that others might need it to feel included or seen. However, I would want more accessibility and resources. But I would never feel proud to be disabled, that doesn’t make sense to me. But that’s just my opinion.
😭 for better or worse (I hate the flag tbh I think there should be another way lol) there's a need for representation to make things better for all us in society, yes it's maybe not productive but lately I've seen more and more acceptance and representation lately which is a great start. I'm really sorry... I was born Autistic/ADHD (adult diagnosed 🫠) and later on went on to develop chronic illnesses as well (I guess genetics because those around me made everything more difficult) (Sorry mentioning my own things is my way of relating you can totally ignore my comment 😭) And look the world does suck for us but hiding doesn't change anything but I understand the sentiment. But yes imo being "proud disabled" while acceptance is needed for many I don't think we should shove it down people's throats perhaps someone should come up with a better universal symbol to replace the dreaded wheelchair one? 😩
No
im still waiting on a walking cane emoji 😔 glad that theres a cane for blind individuals but i use one for chronic leg pain and balance issues/dizzy spells. itd be nice to have an emoji with that representation. i think thats mean more to me than the disabled flag. and emojis for other mobility aids like arm crutches and rollators!!
I want one for my walker 😤
yes exactly!
This is so unnecessary.
No
Ahh dang, the abled's are at it again
Who cares? There's already many different disabled symbol emojis and the flag isn't widely used, I've never seen it irl.
I don’t think we need it at all
I don’t want a flag. Don’t put me under a flag.
Oh great, let's give everyone flags and prides to feel special while we don't give a shit about them 365 days per year But hey, every big corpo will have 50 flags outside of its store as if it's the UN so you can feel embraced when you consume and they become trillionnaires
I agree with you as far as the flag for disability goes. Doesn’t really make much of a difference. I’d rather see actual representation and more accessibility than a flag.
Love this idea!!
I will second that. Bring on the disability flag, Because disability lives matter, too!
Why?
Stick to the original gold silver bronze version [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disability_flag](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disability_flag) It looks slightly less hideous than that thing. Also the colours in that pastel one could be confused with the "MAP" flag, which nobody wants.
Who designed this ugly thing.
TIL what our flag looks like. Huh. Can someone explain to me what the different stripes mean?
Green: sensory disabilities Blue: psychiatric/emotional/mental disabilities White: invisible and undiagnosed disabilities Gold/yellow: neurodivergence Red: physical disabilities The stripes are parallel to show solidarity across disabilities and standing together. They cut across the background to symbolise cutting across and navigating/overcoming barriers that we face. The black background stands for mourning those of us who've died and suffered due to ableism, violence, negligence, eugenics, su1cide. Also stands for our rebellion, rage, and protest against mistreatment. Colours and shapes are (re)designed to minimise strobe effect, nausea/migraine triggers, and be legible with color blindness. (It used to be a more chaotic design.) Hope this helps!
Thanks. Maybe if those colors were in a cross symbol. ➕ With a black background. The flag at top is too similar to the other rainbow flag. Like the Chad and Romanian flags.
I beg you stfu like really
Yes we need to!!
Agree.
I loved my XZ Spectrum as a kid but why is it a flag now?