July marks Disability Pride Month – and we’re excited to celebrate! Originating in the US in 1990, marking the creation of the Disabilities Act (ADA), it has been celebrated here in the UK too, since 2015. It offers a great opportunity to start conversations and celebrate the disabled community. This year’s focusses include visibility, intersectionality and leadership.

During July, you may notice the Disability Pride flag appearing on your social media feeds. Created by Ann Magill in 2019, it represents many different parts of the community. It places coloured stripes diagonally across the flag to show how disabled people have to cut across barriers in society.

Red represents those with physical disabilities, gold for neurodivergence, white for invisible or undiagnosed disabilities, blue to represent mental illnesses and green for those with sensory disabilities.

image shows the disability pride flag - a black rectangle with diagonal colored lines in red, gold, white, blue and green.

At Active Hands we love celebrating the successes of our community and welcome any chance to shout about your achievements! Whether that’s taking ownership of a daily task, trying out a new hobby or sport, or succeeding on the world stage – we’re here for it all! So, we thought this month was a great chance to look back over some of the achievements you’ve shared with us.

Paralympic Dreams

Jillian Elwart is a para-canoeist from Arkansas, USA. Jillian was born with a malformed right leg and a right hand consisting of a thumb and 2 fingers. She has long enjoyed water sports, starting out in kayaking. In 2022 she switched to canoe, qualifying to compete in the women’s kneeling canoe category.

Jillian uses her General Purpose gripping aid to lift a weight bar

After a near decade long journey of training, Jillian secured the USA a place at the Paris Paralympics. She went on to claim her place on the team, following the 2023 World Championships in Germany.

At her debut Paralympic Games, Jillian went on to achieve an amazing 11^th place. Two years on, she continues to train hard for Team USA, balancing her commitment to sport alongside her career. When strength and conditioning training in the gym, Jillian puts our gym gripping aids through their paces.

“I do use my gripping aid with every gym session. I’m able to use the same weight in my compromised hand as in my sound hand. It keeps me symmetrical in strength and appearance. Every row, lat pull, pull up, curl, all are performed with my gripping aid. I am so reliant on it, that when I travel I always put it in carry-on in the event my luggage does not make it to my destination.” Jillian

Jillian is hoping to represent Team USA again in Los Angeles 2028 – and we can’t wait to watch her!

Growing into Adulthood

We’re lucky enough to share glimpses into the lives of many children who use our gripping aids to enable them to move towards adult independence. We love that we have a wide range of determined, young Active Hands users!

For many tweens and teens, being able to get creative in the kitchen is a huge achievement. Mary shared a photo of her daughter, who has CP, making the most of the Food Preparation Board to make herself a snack.

a young girl uses the food prep board to chop up a pepper. The pepper is held on the spike so only one hand is needed

Mary tells us,

“She is becoming more independent in the kitchen so we wanted to make sure that she could be independent but also safe. Her OT suggested some assistive kitchen equipment. My daughter loves the board, it has certainly given her more independence and encouraged her enjoyment of cooking.”

Developing skills in the kitchen doesn’t just unlock a new hobby, but is developing a vital life skill. We’re always very proud to watch the children in our community growing in confidence in this area.

Other children have been proud of their sporting achievements and have shared some amazing photos of their adventures! Being brave, pushing their boundaries and challenging themselves are all strong themes among the children in our community. We love being able to show off their accomplishments!

Image shows child in cheerleading uniform holding two pom poms out wide. A close up of her hand shows she is using the Limb Difference gripping aid from Active Hands to hold her pom pom.

Child on the shore next to a yellow kayak. She is holding her paddle above her head and grinning. She uses a Limb Difference gripping aid in her right hand.

Organisations Worth Shouting About

In reflecting with pride on the achievements of our community, it’s not just the individuals who are owed recognition for their accomplishments. We are lucky enough to meet and chat with many different organisations who are striving daily to create meaningful opportunities, provide support and resources and make changes for disabled people.

We know what a huge difference it makes to access a community who really understand. To help link individuals to the right support, we now have a Partners Page. Here, you can quickly find information about charities, funding bodies and organisations that can offer you support.

Why not head over there and find out what’s available in your area?

If you have an achievement you’d love to share, why not get in touch on our social media? We love celebrating your special moments – from finding a way around a small, daily frustration to sporting achievements and anything in between. This Disability Pride month, what are you proud of?

Jo Smith

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