NATIONAL DISABILITY PRIDE MONTH No. 4 (7.31.23)

 

WHAT IS DISABILITY PRIDE MONTH?

 Disability Pride Month initially started as a day of celebration in 1990—the year that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law.  The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications, and access to state and local government programs and services.

In 1990, the same year the act was instated, Boston held the first Disability Pride Day. Cities across the country have celebrated disability pride month with parades and other festivities since 2015.

 

FEATURE OF THE WEEK

                                                                    

 Stevie Wonder

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Born Stevland Hardaway Judkins in Saginaw, Michigan, the man we have come to know as Stevie Wonder faced many obstacles early on in his life. Born prematurely, he suffered from a condition known as Retinopathy of prematurity which caused his blindness. Raised by a single mother and the third of six children, the family moved to Detroit, Michigan to improve their poor economic condition. As early as the age of four, a talent for music revealed itself with a young Stevie using pots and pans to create rhythms and beats. Although his mother could not afford to buy him any instruments, young Stevie was given a harmonica and taught himself to play it along with the drums and piano.

 By the age of 11, young Stevie was introduced to Motown CEO Berry Gordy and auditioned to be signed to his music label. Without hesitation, Mr. Gordy signed the young talented Stevie who became known as “the Eighth Wonder of the World” and nicknamed ‘little boy wonder’ because of his ability to play numerous instruments and sing at the same time. Little Stevie Wonder starred in the Motown Revue and traveled the country with other famous acts such as The Supremes and Marvin Gaye. His tutor, who traveled with him, recalls a performance during which Stevie had the audience singing and dancing in the aisles. Diana Ross approached Gordy and asked, “How are we [The Supremes] supposed to follow that?” Stevie grew up in Motown and helped to create the famous Motown sound writing hits for himself and others. Wonders’ contributions helped to propel the crossover success of Motown Records, which in turn helped to break down social and racial barriers.

 As his popularity grew, Wonder gained the interest of other record labels. He knew his value and seized the opportunity to sign a new contract with Motown. To keep the talented artist, Gordy made an unprecedented concession by giving Stevie ownership of his publishing rights: a feat that had not been accomplished by any other Motown artist at the time. This deal not only meant an increase in royalties, but also creative control that gave Wonder the right to produce and record his music any place, any time, and in any way. In the end, his savvy business negotiations paid off for him creatively, as it was after this deal that Wonder would go on to produce the best-selling and most critically acclaimed album of his career, Songs in the Key to Life.

 In 2009, the United Nations named Stevie Wonder the U.N. Messenger of Peace with the special mission of helping people with disabilities. Upon being given this honor Stevie said: “It is beyond my ability to fathom that 10 percent of people of this world don’t matter to the other 90 percent of the people in the world. I’m not able to believe that, and the only way that we can show our caring about that 10 percent is by doing something to make the world more accessible and for people to be accepted with disabilities by committing ourselves to opening all the doors and all the possibilities for those who are physically challenged in any way.” Wonder has been a long-time humanitarian for children in need and for persons with disabilities. His work includes campaigning for disability rights on the U.S. President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities and the Junior Blind of America. Additionally, Wonder helped to launch the Wonder Vision Awards that encouraged innovations to help the disabled and promote equality for all people. Wonders’ impact on social justice extends to his work campaigning against apartheid in South Africa, lobbying to make Martin Luther King’s birthday a National Holiday in the U.S., and using his musical talents to help produce the groundbreaking “We Are the World” fundraiser for hunger.