TONIGHT: City Hall, LAX + The Magic Castle light up in orange for Disability Pride Month

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July 5, 2023

The City of Los Angeles Joins Easterseals Southern California In Observation of Disability Pride Month

Los Angeles City Hall, the LAX Pylons + The Magic Castle to be Lit in Non-Profit’s Signature Orange Color to Raise Awareness, July 5^th

LOS ANGELES — July 5, 2023 — For Immediate Release: The City of Los Angeles has joined with Easterseals Southern California (ESSC) in observance of Disability Pride Month in July.

To bring awareness to disability inclusion in the City of Angels, Los Angeles City Hall, the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) pylons and The Magic Castle will all be lit in Easterseals’ signature orange color on July 5.

The lighting will be extended beyond the 5^th at City Hall (July 5-7) and The Magic Castle (July 5-16), the latter of which will also fly a Disability Pride Flag during the same timeframe.

Disability Pride Month is an opportunity to celebrate and honor the disability community. This month we recognize the history, achievements and unique experiences of people with disabilities. The positive pride felt by disabled people. By all of us working together, we can create a more welcoming, inclusive, and accessible world for all—a world that understands disability not as something negative, but as a powerful, integral part of a person. Join us in celebrating disability this month and recognize that we won’t all be equal until disability rights are fully realized.

Commented Mark Whitley, president & CEO of ESSC, “We welcome the support of our city’s leaders and influencers to raise awareness by shining a light on disability inclusion in the city of Los Angeles and across the nation. Together, in one of the world’s most diverse cities, we are striving to create a world that is welcoming to everyone. It’s as simple as treating everyone the way we would like to be treated—either personally, as an employer or in a business environment. Let each of us empower people with disabilities by becoming a voice for inclusion.”

Said Councilmember Raman, who introduced the motion to light City Hall in observance of Disability Pride Month, “We illuminate City Hall to bring attention to disability awareness and to uplift people with bodily, cognitive, emotional and sensory disabilities—both visible and hidden. Everyone deserves to feel valued, respected and included and this is just one tool in our toolbox to increase visibility and combat the social stigmatization of disability.”

According to the CDC, 25% of U.S. residents, more than 61 million people across the country, have a disability. Of those, 23% live in California (more than 9 million), nearly 5.5 million of them in SoCal. One in 44 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with 1 in 26 kids in California diagnosed with ASD.

ESSC assists more than 15,000 people with disabilities in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Imperial, Kern, San Bernardino, Riverside and Ventura counties and is SoCal’s largest provider of autism services.

About Easterseals Southern California

Easterseals is leading the way to full equity, inclusion and access through life-changing disability and community services. For more than 100 years, we have worked tirelessly with our partners to enhance quality of life and expand local access to healthcare, education and employment opportunities.  Easterseals Southern California provides essential services and on-the-ground supports to more than 15,000 people each year—from early childhood programs for the critical first five years, to autism services, daily and independent living services for adults, employment programs, veterans’ services and more. Our public education, policy and advocacy initiatives positively shape perceptions and address the urgent and evolving needs of the one in four Americans with disabilities today. Together, we’re empowering people with disabilities, families and communities to be full and equal participants in society.