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A diverse group of smiling children, including a student in a wheelchair, laugh and play outdoors with a supportive adult. This joyful scene reflects inclusion, community, and belonging—core themes of Disability Pride Month.

What does true inclusion look like in your classroom?

Teaching Disability Pride: New Resources for This Month and Beyond

July 15, 2025

Teaching Disability Pride: New Resources for This Month and Beyond

Celebrate Disability Pride Month with inclusive classroom resources, educator guides, and free PD webinars. Explore new ways to support disability awareness and belonging all year long.

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Every July, communities across the U.S. recognize Disability Pride Month, a time to celebrate the diversity, strength and contributions of people with disabilities. The month honors the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, 1990—a landmark moment in civil rights history. The first Disability Pride Day was held in Boston in 1990, and since then, the month has grown into a vibrant expression of identity and inclusion, uplifting the voices, stories and experiences of the disability community.

This year’s theme is “We Belong Here, and We’re Here to Stay.” And that’s never been more true than in classrooms nationwide. Two years ago, I highlighted a collection of classroom-ready resources to support educators, school staff and caregivers in teaching about Disability Pride Month. This year, we have many new lessons, articles and professional learning webinars designed to expand that work. However you may work and interact with students, you’ll find powerful resources to deepen understanding, foster inclusion, and celebrate neurodiversity and disability justice in meaningful ways.

Classroom Lessons on Disability Inclusion

These new classroom lessons for Disability Pride Month, discussion guides and bulletin board ideas offer engaging ways to celebrate this month and beyond while building awareness and respect for all learners. From personal storytelling and visual expression to profiles of influential disability rights advocates, each resource supports a disability-inclusive curriculum that helps educators feature disability history and identity, so all students feel a part of their community.

Educator Articles on Disability Awareness

Understanding disability and neurodiversity in the classroom starts with informed perspectives. These recent articles and blog posts—paired with panel discussions and practical strategies—offer educators and colleagues valuable insights into supporting students with unique learning needs and health conditions, while fostering a culture of inclusion and empathy.

What does it truly mean to be seen—and why does representation matter for individuals with autism?

Autism Representation in Media

This blog post by Heidi Goger explores how media portrayals of autism can shape student identity, perceptions and acceptance—both positively and negatively—inside and outside the classroom. 

  • Be sure to check out the companion Vital Lessons town hall on Autism here
Read the blog
child with lots of thoughts

ADHD Primer for Educators

Keep this handy: Heidi Goger's practical introduction to understanding attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder includes research-backed strategies for creating supportive, structured learning environments. 

  • You’ll want to view the companion Vital Lessons town hall on ADHD in schools and the workplace here
Read the blog
rti tips

Response to Intervention (RTI) Tips

A concise guide for using RTI frameworks to identify learning challenges early and implement tiered support to help all students succeed, this resource is a perfect one to share with colleagues. 

Learn more
Teacher working with student

Sickle Cell Disease Awareness

This article provides context and classroom ideas to increase awareness, empathy and support for students living with chronic illnesses like sickle cell disease.

Read the article

On-Demand PD for Inclusive Education

These free, for-credit webinars, which you can access at your convenience, are an ideal format to deepen your understanding of disability, neurodiversity and inclusive teaching strategies. From using children’s literature to spark conversations, to exploring innovative strategies for co-teaching, math support, and AI integration for special education classroom activities, each on-demand webinar provides practical tools to help create learning environments where everyone—educators and students alike—can thrive.

Disability Pride Month is more than a celebration—it’s a call to reflect, educate and follow through. By sharing stories, practicing empathy and using thoughtful tools like these, we help create school environments where every learner can thrive. Whether you're planning a single lesson or exploring the topic throughout the school year, we hope these new resources give you fresh ways to support your students, your colleagues and your school communities.

Inclusive Education: Lesson Plans and Resources

In this collection, you will find resources to help students better understand different disabilities, promote inclusion, challenge ableism, and make accommodations for others.

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Susan Youssofi
Susan G. Youssofi, local to the Washington, DC metro area, has been working on the Share My Lesson team since spring of 2013. She works on outreach and engagement efforts to inform educators about Share My Lesson, from the quality of the resources to the functionality of the site to fun... See More
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