Disability Pride Month 2026: Join SCAC and Celebrate Around the Region
Every July, Disability Pride Month gives us a chance to celebrate disability identity and culture, mark the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (signed July 26,1990), and create a world where access isn't an afterthought. This year's national theme, chosen by The Arc's National Council of Self-Advocates, is "The World Works Better With Us." It's a simple, true idea, and one SCAC lives by every day: when disabled people help shape a space, that space works better for everyone in it.
At SCAC, our vision is a Seattle arts scene where disabled people are fully part of it, not accommodated as an afterthought. Disability Pride Month is a moment to celebrate the artists, administrators, and audiences already doing that work, and to invite more people into the arts sector.
Join Us: Fundamentals of Accessibility
Date: Wednesday, July 22
Time: 12:00–1:15 pm PT
Location: Virtual on Zoom
Cost: Free, donation suggested
Accessibility: ASL interpretation and live captioning are provided; additional accommodations are available on request
The best place to start is with us. Fundamentals of Accessibility, our Accessibility 101 session. This session is built for arts and culture staff who want a practical grounding in accessibility– not just a list of rules– but the reasoning and the next steps behind it. Bring your questions and your own organization's programming to think through together.
Celebrate Around the Region
Beyond our own session, this July brings a calendar of Disability Pride events across the region.
ILLUMINATE 2026: Disability Performance in the Spotlight
Graphic for Sound Theatre Company’s 2026 ILLUMINATE festival. Beneath text reading “Sound Theatre Company presents” is a stylized star, with “ILLUMINATE 2026” written in a curve along the bottom right of the illustration. The subtitle further down reads “Disability Performance in the Spotlight”. All colors featured are the colors found on the Disability Pride Flag
Multiple dates and times
Location: Seattle Center Theatre Black Box
Cost: $0-$79
Accessibility: Wheelchair seating available. Full accessibility information to be announced.
Sound Theatre Company's Making Waves series presents four evenings of Disabled and Deaf stories, artists, and community at the Seattle Center Theatre Black Box, sponsored by Seattle Disability Arts. Everyone is welcome, regardless of ability.
Mon, July 13, 7pm — Documentary screening: IMPERFECT by Regan Linton, with discussion (audio description and captioning available)
Mon, July 20, 7pm — Full-length play reading: Wizziwig by Amy Claussen
Tue, July 21, 7pm — Short play readings, curated by Andrea Kovich
Mon, July 27, 7pm — Panel: Producing Disabled Artists
Inclusion Festival
Date: Sunday, July 26
Time: 11:00am-6:00 pm
Location:Zuanich Park, Bellingham
Cost: Free
Whatcom Center for Early Learning's first annual Inclusion Festival is a free, family-friendly celebration of disability pride, neurodiversity, inclusion, access, and belonging.
Festivities include live music, craft and resource vendor booths, sensory-friendly activities, a resource fair, and a Walk-n-Roll-athon.
Accessibility features include reserved accessible seating, ASL interpreters, live closed captioning, a low-sensory zone, courtesy wheelchairs, additional ADA parking, and multilingual interpreters (Spanish, ASL, Punjabi, German, and Korean).
Learn more about Inclusion Festival 2026.
More Ways to Mark the Month
Learn the history. Understanding where Disability Pride comes from, and why it's distinct from charity or awareness campaigns, helps shift the conversation from access-as-favor to access-as-right. Sno-Isle Library has a great resource for readers of all ages!
Center disabled voices. Follow disabled artists, writers, and advocates. If you're inviting a disabled speaker or artist into your organization, offer an honorarium.
Look at your own programming. Where are the barriers, physical, financial, or attitudinal, that keep disabled people out of your venue or your audience? What's one thing you could fix this year?
Disability Pride Month is a celebration, and it's also a standing invitation to arts and culture organizations across King County: the world, and the stage, really does work better when disabled people are part of building it.