Melrose Kicks Off Disability Pride Month With Mural Dedication
Written By Ellen Putnam
Photographed By Nancy Clover
Members of the Melrose Commission on Disability and artist Kris Rodolico, right, in front of this year's Disability Pride mural
The Melrose Commission on Disability kicked off July, which is Disability Pride Month, with the dedication of a new mural on the side of the YMCA building.
This is the third year that artists from Follow Your Art, led by Kris Rodolico, have painted a mural to recognize Disability Pride Month. This year's mural recognized the life and work of disability rights activist and writer Alice Wong, who passed away last year at the age of 51.
Disability Pride Month, which is celebrated across the country and commemorates the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in July 1990, aims to celebrate people with disabilities and their contributions and strengths while also highlighting issues of access that continue to prevent people with disabilities from fully participating in public life.
Members of the Melrose Commission on Disability talked about their work over the past year, including securing state grants for making city buildings and schools more accessible; creating a guide for local organizations to help them make events and activities more accessible; and working on small issues of access that can have a big impact on the lives of disabled people, such as preventing parked cars from blocking sidewalks and improving curb cuts and signage across the city.
Melrose will be continuing its recognition of Disability Pride Month with a panel discussion on July 21st at 7pm and a children's book reading on July 23rd at 10:30am, both at the Melrose Public Library.
