Fairhaven DisABILITY Pride Day Stresses Inclusion [TOWNSQUARE SUNDAY]

This year marks the 33rd anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act. To celebrate, two local women are organizing a DisABILITY Pride Day on July 30 at the Fairhaven Council on Aging.

Traci Welch of M.O. L.I.F.E. Inc. and Jessica Fidalgo of the Fairhaven Belonging Committee say the event will focus on what people can do, not what they can't do.

Welch and Fidalgo joined Townsquare Sunday to talk about Pride Day and why its important to them.

"Disabled people are part of the diversity of the town, older people, younger people, it really does come down to everybody, and we really need to give space to everyone," Fidalgo said.

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The DisABILITY Pride Day program will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and admission is free. If it rains, the event will move indoors to the Fairhaven Rec Center next door.

Groups will be there to provide resource information, decoration tables, a dunk tank, raffles, several speakers about the importance of inclusion and more. Lunch will also be available. The organizers said all the proceeds will go towards next year's celebration.

Employment for the disabled is still a big issue, and Welch said organizers hope to address that issue, too.

"It's not enough that companies who declare themselves Equal Opportunity Employers, if they do not actually hire people with disabilities," she said. "On the 30th, we're going to have a 'leads and needs' table. If you know a disabled person looking for a job, or a company looking to hire, we'll have information and resumes available."

Townsquare Sunday is a community affairs program that airs Sundays at 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. on WBSM.

The program highlights individuals and non-profit organizations seeking to make Greater New Bedford a better place to live.

if you would like your organization featured on Townsquare Sunday, please email the host at jim.phillips@townsquaresquaremedia.com.