Washington turns out for Disability Pride event
Soaring summer temperatures could not deter a joyful and diverse crowd from attending the first ever Disability Pride Washington Event on Tuesday morning.
More than 40 regional vendors, nonprofits and service providers gathered at the Main Street Pavilion in downtown Washington to promote their resources and meet residents.
According to Disability Pride Pennsylvania Executive Director Vicki Landers, the event is designed as a celebration for people with disabilities and LBQT+ identities, as well as an opportunity to connect with relevant community resources.
Landers said Disability Pride Pennsylvania and co-organizer Voices for Independence specifically selected to host the event at the Washington pavilion because it is an accessible venue.
To Landers, ensuring accessibility is important because it allows more people to “share the fun” and participate in events that would have been difficult to attend otherwise.
This includes providing wheelchair-accessible bathrooms, ADA-compliant walkways and American Sign Language interpretation during spoken presentations.
“There are so few events that are accessible, so it’s important for people to feel comfortable enough to come out and celebrate who they are,” Landers said.
Sarah Johnston attended the event to share resources offered by the Autism Services, Education, Resources and Training Collaborative (ASERT), which is an initiative funded through the Pennsylvania Office of Developmental Programs.
According to Johnston, there is a need for better public education on autism and how to support people who are autistic, so ASERT provides regular public training and informational sessions across the commonwealth.
“We want people to know we’re here to help, to help anybody, that you don’t need to have a script or a formal diagnosis to benefit,” she said.
Steven Lonsinger said he attended because he wanted to get out of the house and check out the vendor tables.
“It’s been fun, I like it and I got to get some resources that I needed and get some good food,” he said.
According to Lonsinger, the value of such events is being able to feel welcome and accepted.
Washington resident Kyle Glozier attended alongside his health aide Paula Wise.
Glozier is a lifelong advocate for disability rights, who recently traveled to Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., to show support at events.
Glozier, who uses a customized tablet to help communicate, said, “We need to be visible because for too long we were hidden away in mental hospitals and other institutions, instead of living independently.”