IN THE KNOW: Toledo, "Disabled Women Make History (and Art)"
Until July 31, 2026. This event honors the legacy of Lois Curtis and Elaine Wilson, two disabled women whose advocacy led to Olmstead v. L.C., the landmark Supreme Court decision that affirmed disabled people’s right to live in the community rather than institutions. Lois, a talented artist, expressed herself through vibrant portraits and paintings, using art as a means of storytelling and self-advocacy. Both she and Elaine deeply valued the power of community, fighting not just for their own freedom but for the rights of all disabled people to live and thrive among their peers.
The Disability Pride flag was created by Ann Magill, who has cerebral palsy. The soft colors and order of the stripes were specifically designed to accommodate people with certain disabilities, including red-green color blindness. The parallel stripes stand for intracommunal solidarity. The black background mourns disabled people who have died due to negligence, suicide, rebellion, illness, and eugenics. The colors on the flag symbolize various disability experiences.
- Red represents physical disabilities.
- Gold is for neurodiversity.
- White represents non-apparent disabilities and disabilities that have not yet been diagnosed.
- Blue stands for emotional and psychiatric disabilities, including mental illness, anxiety, and depression.
- Green is for sensory disabilities, including deafness, blindness, lack of smell, lack of taste, audio processing disorder, and all other sensory disabilities.
