Every July, Disability Pride Month invites us to celebrate disabled artists and disability culture in all its art, humor, joy, and imagination. This year, we asked the Borealis team to share the organizations, artists, and resources they turn to for ongoing learning and inspiration. In addition to the many groups that comprise our grantee community, they pointed us toward visionary disabled artists, storytellers, healers, and organizers whose work remind us that if we want a truly inclusive democracy, access and belonging must be baked into how we live, work, and create together. The organizations and resources below offer a place to spend time with that work and to discover new models of care, be immersed in disability culture, and celebrate the richness of disabled brilliance.

The Arts and Performance

  • Sins Invalid centers disabled artists of color, queer, and trans performers through live performances and created the 10 Principles of Disability Justice, a foundational framework that has shaped disability justice organizing.
  • Deaf Spotlight hosts annual film festivals and theater productions that give Deaf, DeafBlind, and BIPOC artists paid opportunities to perform and share their talents.
  • FWD-Doc is a global, intersectional community of disabled creators and allies that supports disabled filmmakers through fellowships, mentorship, and professional development.
  • Visionaries of the Creative Arts uplifts BIPOC Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing artists by creating opportunities to write, perform, and produce original theater in American Sign Language.

Journalism and Narrative Change

  • Disabled Journalists Association is led by BIPOC disabled journalists working to improve reporting on disability while advocating for accessible newsrooms and more representation of disabled journalists across the media industry.
  • Disability Media Alliance invests in disabled nonfiction storytellers through funding, mentorship, and industry support, helping more disabled journalists, documentary filmmakers, and creators publish their own stories.
  • Disability Visibility Project, founded by beloved ancestor and self-proclaimed “disabled oracle” Alice Wong, is a storytelling platform that uplifts disabled voices through essays, podcasts, and stories, reshaping how disability is understood around the world.
  • Military Veterans in Journalism supports vets pursuing careers in journalism through fellowships, mentorship, and career development while equipping newsrooms with tools for more accurate and inclusive disability reporting.

Read the full article about celebrating disabled artists and organizers at Borealis Philanthropy.