There is something incredibly powerful about beginning Disability Pride Month in a room filled with people who are ready to listen, learn, reflect, and take action.

Last week, I had the honor of joining Covered California as part of its DEI Speaker Series for a conversation centered on disability pride, ableism, accessibility, inclusion, leadership, and the importance of creating workplaces where disabled employees feel supported, valued, and seen.

The session welcomed 673 staff members, with most attendees remaining through the full question-and-answer portion.

That level of participation meant so much to me.

It was not simply the number of people who attended. It was the curiosity, openness, and care that showed up throughout the conversation.

A Conversation That Continued Beyond the Event

During the session, we explored how disability is often misunderstood, overlooked, or approached through assumptions instead of lived experience.

We talked about the ways ableism can appear in everyday interactions, workplace systems, language, policies, expectations, and environments.

We also discussed the role each person can play in creating more inclusive spaces.

The questions submitted by employees were thoughtful, honest, and deeply important.

They asked how to respond when someone has a negative reaction to disability.

They wanted to know how employees can create a safe space for disabled colleagues.

They asked how to offer assistance respectfully without making assumptions or taking away someone’s independence.

They were interested in disability-awareness activities, resources for understanding ableism, and ways to build greater awareness around autism and other disabilities in adulthood.

We were not able to reach every question during the live session, but the conversation did not end there.

Covered California created an internal resource page where additional answers, tools, and learning opportunities can continue to be shared with employees.

That kind of follow-through matters.

Inclusion is not built through one event alone.

It grows through continued education, reflection, accountability, and action.

What Disability Pride Means

Disability Pride Month is a time to celebrate disabled identity, culture, community, history, resilience, creativity, leadership, and possibility.

It is also a time to recognize that disabled people should not have to hide, minimize, apologize for, or overcome who they are in order to belong.

Disability pride does not mean ignoring the barriers that disabled people experience.

It means understanding that disability itself is not the problem.

The barriers are the problem.

Inaccessible systems are the problem.

Exclusion is the problem.

Low expectations are the problem.

Ableism is the problem.

Disability Pride invites us to see disability as a natural part of the human experience and to recognize the value, perspective, innovation, and leadership that disabled people bring into every space.

Creating Safer and More Inclusive Workplaces

One of the most meaningful parts of this conversation was the focus on what employees can do differently.

A safe workplace is created when people feel comfortable asking for what they need without fear of judgment, retaliation, or being viewed as less capable.

It is created when accessibility is considered from the beginning instead of added only after someone encounters a barrier.

It is created when leaders listen to disabled employees, respect lived experience, and build systems that support different ways of working, communicating, participating, and leading.

Sometimes inclusion begins with a simple question:

“How can I support you?”

That question creates space for autonomy.

It avoids assumptions.

And it reminds us that disabled people are the experts in their own lives.

A Powerful Beginning to Disability Pride Month

I am deeply grateful to Covered California and the DEI Speaker Series Sub-Committee for inviting me to help kick off Disability Pride Month.

Their team shared that the session made a lasting impact, and I am equally impacted by the level of engagement and the commitment to continuing the conversation.

Nearly 700 people came together to learn more about disability inclusion.

They stayed.

They listened.

They asked questions.

And they demonstrated that meaningful change begins when people are willing to look more closely at the barriers around them and consider how they can help remove them.

That is a beautiful way to begin Disability Pride Month.

Not only by celebrating how far we have come, but by committing to keep pushing forward together.

What an incredible way to kick off Disability Pride. ♿️🎤✨