CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The Chicago Disability Pride Parade, which organizers bill as the longest running disability pride parade in the country, will return to the Loop this weekend for its 20th year.
The parade will step off Saturday at 11 a.m. at 401 S. Plymouth Court. From there, the parade march west on Van Buren Street before taking Dearborn Street north all the way to Daley Plaza.
Justin Cooper, the 2023 Chicago Disability Pride Parade’s head marshal, said he’s expecting the parade to be a great opportunity to reach folks in the city who don’t often see people with disabilities.
Perhaps more importantly for members of Chicago’s disability community, Cooper said the parade gives folks a chance to see each other in-person and catch up. He added that 2022 was the first year since the pandemic began that the parade returned to an in-person event.
“Returning last year, that was really an important thing for us because people in the disability community really missed that,” Cooper said. “They really missed being a part of the parade.”
Cooper leads the Young Professionals Council at Access Living, a disability advocacy organization based in Chicago. He said that while the COVID-19 pandemic has officially been declared over by elected officials, the disability community has not, by and large, made the same return to normal seen in other communities.
“We’re still affected by this,” he said. “As many people have said that the pandemic is over, it has not been over for a lot of people within the disability community, so it’s important for us to make sure that they’re protected and have a good time being part of the parade.”
Attendees will be encouraged to wear masks, Cooper said.
Also on Cooper's mind as the disability pride parade approaches: the ongoing transportation issues for people with disabilities who live or travel around Chicagoland. He said many of those who attend the parade have to navigate the inaccessibility of public transit or rideshare services.
None of that, though, will take away from what Cooper hopes will be a great celebration.
“As long as I’m in the background and they’re having a good time, that’s all that matters,” he said. “I just want people to really have fun and really enjoy themselves.”
More information about the Chicago Disability Pride Parade can be found here.
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