Emma Rarick collaborates with
to celebrate July as Disability Pride Month, a moment to educate people on disability visibility, ableism, and the 1990 signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
What’s Disability Pride Month?
Disability Pride Month happens every July to mark the ADA's anniversary, which was passed on July 26, 1990. The first celebration was a Disability Pride Day that took place in Boston in 1990. People with disabilities make up 15% of the world's population representing all ages, races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, religions, and socio-economic backgrounds.
Disability Pride has a flag created by Ann Magill and entered into the public domain in 2019. Magill's original flag featured a lightning bolt design and bright colors on a black background. The flag was redesigned in 2021 with muted colors and straight stripes in response to feedback from those with visually triggered disabilities. The new design limits the strobe effect created by the lightning bolt to be more visually safe for those with migraines and visually triggered seizures. The color brightness changes make the flag more accessible to those with color blindness. The new flag comprises a number of different elements, each symbolizing different aspects of the disability experience. The colored stripes are placed diagonally across the flag to show how disabled people have to cut across barriers in society.
Disability Pride Flag Color Meanings:
- Diagonal band: Represents cutting across the barriers and divisions that separate disabled people from society.
- Red stripe: Physical disabilities.
- Gold stripe: Cognitive and intellectual disabilities.
- White stripe: Invisible, non-apparent, and undiagnosed disabilities.
- Blue stripe: Psychiatric and mental health disabilities.
- Green stripe: Sensory disabilities.
- Gray background: Mourning and remembrance of those who have experienced ableist violence, discrimination, and abuse. Read more about what ableism is & what we all can do to prevent it.
Check out our 2026 Disability Pride Coloring Pages
Judy Heumann, The Mother of the Disability Rights Movement Coloring Page
This image shows an illustration I drew of Judy Heumann’s portrait along with background symbols that relate to education like a book, an apple, a pencil, flowers, and a graduation cap.
Ed Roberts, The Father of Independent Living Movement Coloring Page
This image shows an illustration I drew of Ed Robert’s portrait along with background symbols that relate to independent living like a home, cooking pot, grocery cart, and a calendar.
Brad Lomax, A Black Panther Leader & Disability Rights Advocate Coloring Page
This image shows an illustration I drew of Brad Lomax’s portrait along with background symbols that relate to The Black Panther Party & providing protestors food to support the 504 sit-ins, like a warm fried chicken and biscuits dinner, an apple, and a graduation cap.
Haben Girma, Assistive Technology Advocate Coloring Page
This image shows an illustration I drew of Haben Girma’s portrait along with background symbols of assistive technologies and a value in education such as a walker, headphones, a jar lid grip, a seat lift, a heart, a star, and a graduation cap. Listen to Haben Girma’s empowering speeches here: https://habengirma.com/videos/
Ari Ne’eman, The 1st Autistic National Council on Disability Member Coloring Page
This image shows an illustration I drew of Ari Ne’eman’s portrait along with background symbols that relate to having a voice in policies like a volume icon, books, heart, and stars.
Justin Dart Jr., The Godfather of the ADA Coloring Page
This image shows an illustration I drew of Justin Dart Jr.’s portrait along with background symbols that relate to traveling the country to gather stories from people with disabilities like a map of the USA, a car, a volume icon, a sun, and a heart.
Emma Rarick
Creator of 2026 Disability Pride coloring page illustrations, word search, newsletter graphic design, disability activist painted portraits posters, & July 2026 newsletter artist spotlight.
“Visibility is vital to recognizing that everyone is truly capable of success. Too often, "disability" is spoken in a whisper, as if the word itself creates discomfort. Yet, it is these cautious whispers — and an "out of sight, out of mind" mentality — that create the true barriers, and frame disability as a tragedy rather than a natural part of human life.
Disability is simply a different way of navigating the world. While it thrives on communication and support, the exact same can be said for any high-performing team. I am incredibly proud to work together with Kohl’s diverseAbilities BRG to create Disability Pride artwork that ensures people with disabilities have the opportunity to feel celebrated and well-equipped to succeed.
These portraits celebrate the deep pride and resilience of people with both visible and invisible disabilities. Reading about these activists in Judith Heumann’s memoir, Being Heumann, allowed me to feel included in a legacy for the first time and to understand how current the disability rights movement truly is. Through my artwork, it is my joy to pass that feeling forward—inviting everyone to feel included in our story.” -Emma
About Kohl’s diverseAbilities BRG Disability Pride Month Projects
Emma Rarick serves as the Communications Design Co-Chair of Kohl’s diverseAbilities Business Resource Group Leadership Team.
As the Communications Design Co-Chair, she designs the visual identity and artwork assets for Kohl’s diverseAbilities Business Resource Group, supporting Kohl’s Inclusion & Belonging initiatives and reaching 2,118 BRG members company-wide (as of 2026).
Emma champions accessibility efforts by creating in alignment with WCAG, W3C Web Accessibility Guidelines, and ADA standards; improving accessibility compliance and enabling our communications to reach employees using adaptive technologies, those with visual impairments, and to ease readability for those with dyslexia. Emma works to lead production timelines & the creation of newsletter graphic designs, celebration month illustrative decorations, educational coloring pages, and digital engagement tools/games; delivers 2-3 assets and 2 newsletters monthly while meeting 100% of deadlines and balancing ongoing artwork creation as a Croft & Barrow Assistant Textile Artist. She drives company-wide engagement in disability advocacy across corporate, field, and store teams; supporting 5 diverseAbilities planning committees moment months and 24 general communications newsletters annually.
Emma has created artwork for Kohl’s Disability Pride Moment Month from July 2025 - Present. She creates artwork to educate allies & celebrate people with disabilities’s diversity. Her artwork is used as decorations and games for Kohl’s corporate headquarters, field, and stores. In addition to directing the overall creative vision, Emma has experience managing a team of artists—reviewing art direction, providing feedback, and delegating responsibilities. Her leadership reflects a strong ability to guide creative teams while maintaining a cohesive and impactful visual narrative.
2025 Disability Pride Posters
Shape-based 11x17" poster graphic of diverse people with disabilities in a speech bubble. Between the speech bubble two people in work attire shake hands. The words on the poster advertise Kohl's Corporate Explore Diverse Abilities Networking Event.
Explore Diverse Abilities Corporate Office Networking Event Advertisement
Shape-based 11x17" informational poster in the disability pride flag colors that describes how to be an ally to people with disabilities to help promote disability pride. If you want to be an ally to people with disabilities try to: 1. Create virtual content with accessibility features in mind. 2. Accept people as they are. 3. Use person-first language. 4. Be flexible and willing to accommodate. 5. Challenge ableism. 6. Listen. 7. Include people with disabilities. 8. Amplify the voices of people with disabilities.
How to Be an Ally to People with Disabilities Support Poster
Shape-based informational 9 square grid covering 3x3' of space. This poster is in the disability pride flag colors and describes how to be an ally to people with disabilities in order to help promote disability pride. If you want to be an ally to people with disabilities try to: 1. Create virtual content with accessibility features in mind. 2. Accept people as they are. 3. Use person-first language. 4. Be flexible and willing to accommodate. 5. Challenge ableism. 6. Listen. 7. Include people with disabilities. 8. Amplify the voices of people with disabilities.
ADA 35th Anniversary Corporate Office Celebration Poster
Informational 9 square grid covering 3x3' pf space that describes the history of Adaptive Fashion. Information includes: 1941-1954 invention of Velcro, 1953 introduction of self help gadgets, 1955-1976 Helen Cookman's functional fashion clothing line, 1958 introduction of wheelchair accessible suits, 1961 Functional Fashion Book was published. 2014 1st wheelchair user to walk the runway, 2019 beginning of Kohl's adaptive apparel, 2025 Kohl's adaptive clothing focus group progress.
ADA 35th Anniversary Corporate Office Celebration Poster
2025 Disability Pride Illustrations Daily Challenge
Emma Rarick made one illustration a day celebrating her disability pride in her Continued Disability Pride Illustrations project. This was not in collaboration with Kohl’s, but was inspired by her collaboration earlier this year.
Women holding a disability pride flag with text above her reading Happy Disability Pride Month. The background is filled with swirly shapes using grey, red, blue, green, and white colors to represent the flag.
Happy Disability Pride Month
Illustration of a 9 square grid emphasizing strengths people with disabilities have. They offer unique perspective, resilience, problem solving, attention to detail, self-awareness, heightened empathy, adaptability, and self-advocacy.
Disability Strengths
Illustration of four different fidget toys that Emma loves. Including a wiggly platypus, a wiggly rainbow slug, a squeeze and pop fidget, and a crunchy chain shaped fidget.
Fidgets
Illustration of a woman enduring a panic attack. Many negative and depressed versions of the woman exist at one time and it is hard for the women crying on the floor to understand which women are real and which aren't. A silhouetted figure is shown trying to comfort the woman.
Panic Attacks
Informational illustration describing examples of Physical Disabilities represented in the red color of the flag. Examples: muscle weakness, loss of limbs, spinal cord injuries, asthma, arthritis.
Red- Physical Disabilities
Informational illustration describing examples of Neurodiversity represented in the yellow color of the flag. Examples: Tourette's, Sensory Processing Disorder, ADHD, Autism, & Dyslexia.
Yellow- Neurodiversity
White- Invisible & Undiagnosed Disabilities
Informational illustration describing examples of Invisible & Undiagnosed Disabilities represented in the white color of the flag. Examples: sensory sensitivities, hyperemia, chronic headache, fatigue, body temperature regulation, balance issues.
Informational illustration describing examples of Psychiatric Disabilities represented in the blue color of the flag. Examples: depression, PTSD, high functioning anxiety, anorexia, bulimia, bipolar disorder.
Blue- Psychiatric Disabilities
Informational illustration describing examples of Sensory Disabilities represented in the green color of the flag. Examples: deafness, dysgeusia, blindness, hypersensitivity, sensory processing disorder.
Green- Sensory Disabilities
Ableism is discrimination, prejudice, and social oppression against people with disabilities, based on the belief that non-disabled bodies and minds are superior. Informational illustration describing examples of Ableist Violence, Abuse and Suicide Victims, & Disability Related Death represented in the grey color of the flag.
Grey- Mourning Ableist Violence, Abuse, and Suicide Victims, & Disability Related Death
Illustration of a woman with a pattern using the disability pride flag colors in their brain. The woman is facing away from the camera while a crowd of scared people face the camera. Acknowledging the fear people have around the word disability.
The Unfamiliar is Scary
Illustration of a variety of different spoons, representing that what spoon I choose has a big impact on how my meals taste as a person with Sensory Processing Disorder.
Spoon Diversity
Illustration of a woman swinging a baseball bat. The woman missed the ball though. The text above her reads One Strike and You're Out acknowledging that people generally have less patience for people with disabilities.
One Strike and You’re Out
Illustration of a women with Sensory Processing Disorder. She is sensitive to lighting, touch, sound, proprioception, smell, taste, and her vestibular system.
Sensory Processing Disorder
Illustration of a woman experiencing sensory overload. She feels itchy, wobbly, tired, trapped, and in pain.
Sensory Overload
Illustration of a crowd of people with disabilities making 1 person without disabilities feel like they are weird and don't belong. Illustration includes a body of text describing things people with disabilities can do that people without disabilities can't do, essentially flipping the script.
The Girl Without The Wheelchair