Olympia proclaims March 2025 Disability Awareness Month; advocates urge intersectional policy and inclusion

The Olympia City Council on March 4 formally proclaimed March 2025 as Disability Awareness Month and heard two speakers describe how disability advocacy must be intersectional and translate into concrete policy and practice.

The proclamation, read by Council member Vanderpool and signed on behalf of the council and Mayor Dante Payne, affirms the city's commitment to accessibility and urges community education, advocacy and actions that support inclusion for people with disabilities.

Jocelyn Nelson of the Disability Justice Task Force told the council that disability justice "goes beyond access and accommodation and the ADA" and must address overlapping forms of discrimination including racism, classism and anti-LGBTQIA bias. Nelson traced movement history to actions including the 504 sit-ins and said modern disability justice centers people most impacted.

Sarah Norton of the Disability Inclusion Network described her lived experience with multiple disabilities and said the proclamation made her feel "less of an outsider, less of a burden". Norton praised visible accommodations and messaging — citing a tourist brochure she found at SeaTac Airport that listed sensory-friendly businesses and events — as signs of changing norms.

Council members thanked both speakers and noted the proclamation is one step among planned work to revise the city's proclamation process this year and to make city events and communications more accessible.

No formal council action beyond the proclamation signing was required. The remarks were taken as part of the meeting's special recognitions segment.