Celebrating Disability Pride Month
At M&T Bank, prioritizing people is at the heart of our mission. We recognize that Disability Pride Month is a time to celebrate the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and honor individuals who embrace their disabilities as a fundamental aspect of their identity.
Disability does not mean inability
While Disability Pride Month inspires us to celebrate people with disabilities, unfortunately they are often stereotyped, labeled, and discriminated against because of the perception of what they cannot do.
Let’s look closer at some beliefs of people with disabilities:
Understanding leads to valuing
Often times, people mean well, but just don’t know how to interact. To treat a person with disabilities respectfully, put the person before the disability.
Things to consider:
Use:
Person who uses a wheelchair
Do not use:
Confined or restricted to a wheelchair
Use:
Person with a disability
Do not use:
Disabled, handicapped
Use:
Accessible parking or bathroom
Do not use:
Handicapped parking or bathroom
Use:
Person without a disability
Do not use:
Normal person, healthy person
Use:
Person who is successful, productive
Do not use:
Has overcome his/her disability, is courageous
Every person is unique! If you are unsure, ask the person his or her preference.
Hear from our employees celebrating Disability Pride Month
Deb Sparrow
Retail Administrative Assistant
"Disability Pride Month is important to me, because it offers me a space to feel empowered by my disability, rather than burdened by it. I can look at the past 30 years of my life and feel proud knowing what I have overcome, and the strength it took to get here."
Tracie Samuelson
Senior Learning Consultant
"Disability Pride Month provides all of us the opportunity to recognize and celebrate the amazing contributions of the disabled community. It provides a reminder to be kind, empathetic, thoughtful, and accommodating toward those who are challenged by a disability, as well as their caregivers. As a hearing-impaired person, Disability Pride Month gives me a voice to speak up for the things that I need - “speak louder, speak slower, I need extra time” – without feeling the stigma of being an inconvenience or at risk of being treated unfairly."
Celebrating companies who make a difference
Cradle Beach
Located in Angola, NY, Cradle Beach was founded in 1888 as The Fresh Air Mission to help children in Buffalo battling disease. Cradle Beach now offers year-round respite programs for people with disabilities aged 8-88+ and also hosts an inclusive overnight summer camp for children with and without disabilities to build long lasting friendships together.
M&T Card Decks by MagnusCards®
We are excited to be the first U.S.-based bank to partner with Magnusmode.
M&T’s MagnusCards® introduce you to fundamental steps in banking. Topics include counting money, using an ATM, making a withdrawal from a teller, and making a purchase with your debit card.
