Join UCP Oregon on June 19th as we celebrate Juneteenth (also known as Freedom Day).
 
The holiday was named in honor of June 19th, 1865--the day that enslaved persons were finally freed in Texas (months after the Civil War has ended).

Last year, the day became a federal holiday. Woo hoo!
 
Juneteenth events are being held across the country.

If you live in Portland, you might want to attend the 2022 Juneteenth Oregon Parade and Festival. This free, community-empowered event features a parade, food, vendors, a kids’ area, local music (jazz, hip hop and soul), empowering speeches from community leaders and more.
 
For more information, visit the Juneteenth Oregon Celebration website.

Happy Pride Month!
 
Around the country, people are celebrating with parties and events. But Pride is also reminder of the ongoing civil rights movement for LGBTQ+ people.
 
As of 2021, 5.6% of adult Americans identify as part of the LGBTQ+ population. (That’s approximately 17 million people.)
 
Currently, 30-36% of Americans who identify as LGBTQ+ also experience disabilities. (That’s approximately 5 million people.)

You can learn more about the experience of being LGBTQ+ and having disabilities here:

• https://www.respectability.org/2021/06/pride-month-2021/
  
• https://www.disability.state.mn.us/2021/06/25/lgbtq-pride-and-disability-coming-out/
  
• ​https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahkim/2019/06/24/pride-month-too-often-overlooks-lgbtq-members-with-disabilities/?sh=1949b5e91ef8
  

Mabuhay, UCP fans!
 
(That’s a Filipino greeting, if you didn’t know).
 
As you may have heard, May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI).
 
UCP’s Yvonne Miller (a Personal Agent) taught us that greeting, and also started a conversation with the UCP Mentors team about ways to acknowledge and celebrate all things AAPI.
 
Below is an excerpt from Yvonne’s email and some resources they provided.

PS: Thanks to the other UCP Mentors team members shared about their identity and more ways to connect with the AAPI culture! 
 

Did you know that May is Mental Health Awareness Month?
 
The goal is to bring awareness to the importance of mental health and break the stigma.

About 25% of American adults experience a mental health challenge of some kind, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
 
But many people who experience mental health challenges keep their situation and stories to themselves—they’re afraid of being treated differently.
 
But, as Disability Rights California writes, “Especially during this challenging pandemic, it’s even more important to take care of ourselves and not be afraid to ask for help. Mental health is just as important as physical health, and it’s important to remember, we are not alone.”

 
Did you know that May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month?

​According to the CDC, approximately 1 in 10 Asian American adults have a disability. This can lead to some complicated experiences.

As activist Megan Liang writes, “As an Asian American woman with a visible disability, I have always felt as if all parts of my identity were for the world to see and judge… I felt like I couldn’t ask for help in fear that I would be seen as even smaller and weaker.” 

​That’s why Megan and others like her are hoping to shine a light on the intersection of disability and Asian identity.
 
Learn More:

• https://assembly.malala.org/stories/fighting-for-visibility-for-asian-americans-with-disabilities 
• https://www.respectability.org/2021/05/aapi-month-2021/
• https://asamnews.com/2021/04/20/many-disabled-asian-americans-feel-alienated-in-both-the-asam-and-disabled-communities/

Hello! It’s April, and you know what that means… Autism Awareness Month. Or does it?
 
Last year, the largest grassroots autism organization in America (The Autism Society of America) decided to rename their celebration as Autism Acceptance Month (AAM). Other groups have been using the new name for longer, but, in any case, the new name is really taking off!
 
As Christopher Banks (the president and CEO of The Autism Society of America), says, "Awareness is knowing that somebody has autism. Acceptance is when you include (a person with autism) in your activities." [emphasis ours]
 
World Autism Awareness Day (April 2nd) has not been renamed, but its focus has changed.
 
Originally, its focus was on “autistic children and finding a cure," as Ludmila Praslova, a professor and director of graduate programs who also experiences autism, explained. She says that many folks now focus on "acceptance and inclusion rather than a cure…” and celebrating “diversity and completeness."

​Sounds good to us!

As you may know, March is National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month.
 
But here are some facts about CP that you might not know!
 

1. CP is the most common lifelong physical disability.
2. CP affects more than 1 million Americans.
3. 1 in 345 children are affected by CP.
4. 17 million people worldwide have CP.
5. More than 10,000 babies in the U.S. are diagnosed with cerebral palsy each year.

March is a busy month! It’s (1) Women’s History Month. It’s also (2) National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. And it’s (3) National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month!

Since UCP Oregon’s roots are in cerebral palsy, we thought we’d start out by talking about National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month.

The goal of the month is to push for positive change in education programs, the healthcare system, and the employment world—to ensure that people who experience cerebral palsy have the opportunities they need and deserve.

UCP Oregon is busy doing advocacy on a local, state and national level. You can make a difference, too!

Hi! As you probably know, February is known as Black History Month (and also as Black Futures Month).
 
It’s a time to collectively celebrate Black history and to imagine a world where Black people are free and self-determined. This time would not be complete without acknowledging the labor and excellence of Black disabled people, and their place in the necessary movement towards Black freedom.
 
At UCP, we’ve been seeing lots of great resources about being both Black and disabled. Here are some of them:

• National Disability Rights Network: Celebrates Black History Month with Disability Rights in Black
• NBC News: Why Black History Month Needs to Feature Stories of the Disabled
• Respect Ability: highlighting African Americans with Disabilities in Honor of Black History Month
• TedTalk with the Triple Cripples: Empowerment as a Disabled, Black Woman
• TedTalk with Phillip J Roundtree: Black Mental Health Matters

 
To our Black colleagues and customers, we see you and celebrate you! May this month be full of joy and connection.
 
And to our non-Black community reading this post: may all of us continue to learn, address anti-blackness behavior, make changes, and take action.