In Honor of Disability Pride Month

I have been “stuck” on nicotine and people with disabilities since attending SRNT. The session on people with disabilities got to me! I don’t think I’ll ever forget how few people attended that session. But even more impactful, I will never forget sitting in the audience and feeling seen, experiencing goosebumps, and my eyes filling with tears. We need more people with disabilities who smoke to feel seen and supported. Going to SRNT showed me people with disabilities are not as “hot” a topic as some of the other sessions were, and I think that is incredibly sad.

People living with disabilities experience higher rates of tobacco use and face distinct barriers to prevention, cessation, and inclusion in research. Disability Pride Month is celebrated annually in July. To raise awareness, the Safer Nicotine Wiki team has created a new page: Nicotine - People Living With Disabilities. This page compiles evidence on smoking initiation, prevalence, cessation, stigma, and inequities in research and clinical trials involving people with disabilities.

Disability Pride Month is celebrated in July because it commemorates the July 26, 1990, anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The first Disability Pride Day was held in Boston and the first parade was in Chicago. The Disability Pride movement has a flag, and you can learn more about the symbolism behind it here.

If you know of any studies that should be included on our new disabilities page, please let me or another member of the SNW team know.

Until next time…

Notes:

• I create these newsletters as a personal project. They are not affiliated with any current or past employers or groups with which I volunteer. I receive no financial compensation for my efforts to create these newsletters. I use AI to help with spelling, punctuation, grammar, and editing some of my work.