Dane County Board of Supervisors Recognizes July as Disability Pride Month
July 17, 2025
Dylan Moffitt, Policy, Outreach, and Communications Coordinator, (608) 228-9053
County Board
2025 Theme is “We Belong Here, and We’re Here to Stay”
DANE COUNTY, Wis. — On Thursday, July 17, the Dane County Board of Supervisors passed 2025 RES-088, formally recognizing July 2025 as Disability Pride Month throughout Dane County. This July marks 35 years since the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, 1990. The ADA is a landmark civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability and guarantees equal opportunities in public life.
“In Disability Pride Month, we commemorate the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act and celebrate the contributions of community members with disabilities despite barriers and harmful stereotypes they face all too often,” said County Board Chair Patrick Miles. “Those challenges are less about people’s disabilities and more about the barriers and attitudes society poses. Our commitment, year-round, is to tear down those barriers and build a Dane County that is accessible for everyone.”
This year’s theme, “We Belong Here, and We’re Here to Stay,” reflects a powerful message that people with disabilities are vital members of our communities. It serves as a call to action for all to challenge and reject ableism, exclusion, and systemic inequities in the face of ongoing threats to equity in education, employment, health care, and public life.
"Being an elected official with a disability isn’t just part of who I am, it is a perspective I bring to work with me every single day,” said Supervisor Doolan (Dist. 28). “Disability Pride Month is about honoring the strength, creativity, and resilience of our community. It is about saying we belong here not in spite of our differences, but because of them. I carry that truth into every decision I make because real inclusion means more than access—it means leadership, visibility, and dignity.”
The board also welcomed Helen Rottier, Board Secretary of Disability Pride Madison to speak in support of the resolution. “Disability pride is about acknowledging disability as part of life – not good or bad, but a real, complex experience that impacts many people in the world. We must not fear or erase disability or the experiences of our disabled community members. Disabled people live, learn, work, and play in Dane County every day,” said Rottier. “I grew up as a disabled kid on the east side of Madison, and I did not always know or feel that I could take pride in my identity or even speak it beyond a frightened whisper. Confident expressions of disability pride changed my life for the better. Today, I am proud to live in Dane County, where our robust disability community and network of allies promote disability pride throughout the year.”
The Dane County Board of Supervisors reaffirms its commitment to advancing equal opportunity and equitable access to services and resources for residents with disabilities, while uplifting the visibility, leadership, and pride of individuals with disabilities throughout the county.
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About the Dane County Board of Supervisors: The Dane County Board of Supervisors is the legislative and policymaking body of Dane County government. Made up of 37 supervisors elected from districts in the county, the mission of the Dane County Board of Supervisors is to effectively represent the people of Dane County, providing services that secure the blessings of freedom, ensure domestic tranquility, promote the general welfare, and perfect the forms of government. Learn more about the County Board at https://board.danecounty.gov/.