I was cruising through websites last week and came across some flags and symbols in a footer that made me smile. The flags included the Aboriginal flag, Torres Strait Islander Flag, LGBTI diversity flag, a flag representing the Transgender community (One I had not been aware of) and a symbol often associated with people with disabilities. I smiled because it felt so accepting to see such a simple acknowledgement of people from diverse communities. It felt like the website was saying we openly welcome everyone and recognise the interactions of all people with our organisation.
the representation and acknowledgement of people with disabilities is a symbol that to many says “toilet.”
It did, however, also get me thinking. The flags looked so nice and then there was also the blue square with the stick figure sitting in a curved letter C illustrating a person in a wheelchair and representing accessibility. I inwardly cringed a little thinking that the representation and acknowledgement of people with disabilities is a symbol that to many says “toilet.”
It got me thinking and wondering why there is not an internationally recognised flag of people with disability. Flags encourage communities to express, “we are proud of who we are,” so why is there no flag representing this population?
Why Flats Matter:
- They are not just a symbol but a way a group can portray itself to the rest of the world
- They encourage pride in who we are and in what the flag represents to us
- They represent the ideals, ambitions and values of the people who stand with them
- They provide a quick visual communication of acknowledgement, acceptance and welcome when displayed by others outside the community
I jumped on google just in case I had missed something. I found that in 2015 on the International Day of Disability, a design for a Flag to represent people with disabilities had been presented to the United Nations. The flag was designed by Eros Recio, from Valencia, the first professional dancer with Down syndrome. The three colours represent three categories of disability, Physical, Psychic and sensory. The colours take inspiration from the colours used for medals in sports competitions, colours that celebrate achievement and ability.
More curious than ever, I could find only the one reference to this event and this flag. I couldn’t find anything to suggest it had been adopted as a recognised flag in any way. So, I emailed the United Nations to ask them about it. They have not gotten back to me yet.
Disability Flag
Designed by Eros Recio and presented to the United Nations on the 3rd December 2015.
As a child therapist I started to wonder about how this might affect children with disability and even children without disability. We send such positive messages to children by showing them flags and explaining who and what they represent. What message is sent by the absence of a flag?
Without a flag:
How can children with disability portray themselves to the rest of the world?
How can children with disability demonstrate their pride in who they are and what being a person with a disability represents to them?
What do they use to show they stand with the ideals, ambitions and values of this community?
What can organisations without disability do to provide a quick visual communication of acknowledgement, acceptance and welcome to children with disabilities?
In my experience knowing and working with people with disabilities, building a positive self- identity that includes disability is a challenge that begins in childhood. It is a challenge that is real in a world where disability often means low expectations and discrimination. I wonder what difference it could make for children and people with disability to have a flag that represents pride in who they are?
A few activities that children could do around this topic include:
- Collecting the symbols and images that they can find related to disability and exploring their response to each image. This could be expanded by considering how each image could be improved.
- Colouring Eros Recio’s flag and writing words or statements about the ideals, ambitions and values that may be represented in a flag that promotes pride of disability.
- An art project creating their own flag that represents disability
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Found this on TikTok.
We do have a flag. I did not know this.
Hi Amanda, thanks for your research. How interesting. I wonder why it is that a flag has been approved but doesn’t seem to be well known about or used. It would be so great to see this around when other flags are used such as those recognising and welcoming people from different cultures and the LGBTIA+ community etc.The presence of the flag raises a lot of questions for me