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Disability Pride Month 2025

Blog 37, July 2025

July marks the start of Disability Pride Month - a time to celebrate the strength, diversity, and achievements of people living with disabilities. It's also the perfect time for building owners, facility managers, architects, and contractors to ask an important question: Is your building truly accessible to everyone?

Accessibility isn't just a box to check; it's amindset. Disability Pride Month helps us remember to encourage our customers and end-users to take a fresh, honest look at how inclusive their buildings really are. Whether they're managing a retail space, office building, school, or library, now's the time to assess what's working and where improvements are needed.

Automatic doors might seem like a small upgrade to some project stakeholders, but we know they can make a huge difference in a building's accessibility. They literally open doors for people who might otherwise struggle to get through them. They're also a strong visual signal that says, "Everyone is welcome here."

Yet, many public spaces still don't have them. That's because, believe it or not, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) - which was signed into law in July 1990 - doesn't actually require automatic doors at public entrances.

However, the International Building Code (IBC) can fill the gap. Under IBC 1105.1.1, automatic doors are required at certain entrances depending on how many people a building is designed to accommodate. It's a move in the right direction, but it doesn't cover every space.

Disability Pride Month isn't just a celebration - it's also a call to action. The first Disability Pride Day happened the same year the ADA was signed. And in 2015, Disability Pride Month was officially recognized to mark the ADA's 25th anniversary. Each year since, it's been an opportunity to look back at how far we've come—and forward to what still needs to change.

It's always the right time to promote independence, dignity, and inclusion.

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