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Hamilton County proclaims July 2025 Disability Pride Month; advocates urge flag raising and fair pay
Summary
Commissioners read a proclamation recognizing July as Disability Pride Month, commemorating the Americans with Disabilities Act and announcing the county's Accessibility Advisory Board and partnerships with local disability organizations.
Hamilton County formally proclaimed July 2025 as Disability Pride Month on June 24 and heard presentations from local disability advocates and service organizations urging visibility, inclusive policy and economic equity for residents with disabilities.
Joshua Jones, speaking for the county employee disability Employee Resource Group, summarized the purpose of the observance: “Disability pride is about being accepted on their terms.” He said Disability Pride Month commemorates the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act and “calls on everybody to promote inclusion.”
Molly Lyons, chief development officer at LAD, described a month‑long local slate of events organized by a coalition of area governments, arts groups and providers and pointed county officials to the event website disabilitypridecincy for details. Kristen Soll, a member of LAD’s board and empowerment committee, described her own experience and the role local supports played in her life: “For as long as I live, I will continue to fight for the people to be fully seen and included in our community.”
The county proclamation—read aloud by commissioners—recited the ADA’s July 26, 1990 effective date and cited state survey data: a 2019 Ohio Medicaid assessment survey estimate that 36.1% of Ohio adults have at least one type of disability, compared with a national estimate of about one in four adults. The proclamation also cited the county’s employee resource group and a recently passed county resolution to form the Hamilton County Accessibility Advisory Board.
Speakers and county officials emphasized specific inclusion priorities: increased disclosure protections for employees, disability‑accessible public spaces and housing, and ensuring people with disabilities receive fair wages. LAD leaders noted the organization’s work on an accessible, technology‑enabled affordable housing pilot and encouraged continued county partnership on housing and transit access for people with disabilities.
Outcome: County commissioners read the proclamation and posed for a photograph with presenters; staff and advocates discussed following up on a proposed disability pride flag raising at the county and participation on the new Accessibility Advisory Board.
Ending: County staff said they would follow up with advocates about the proposed flag raising and about advisory board engagement.
