5 Objects celebrating Disability Pride Month
It's Disability Pride Month, a month to celebrate the creativity, resilience, and achievements of disabled people. Here's five objects in our free Design and Disability exhibition which highlight and celebrate the work of Disabled people and collaborators.
1. 'The best lovers are good with their hands' by Harry McAuslan, issued by AIDS Ahead part of the British Deaf Association
This tongue-in-cheek poster was part of a campaign by the British Deaf Association and grassroots organisation AIDS Ahead. Their mission was to give equal access to information about sexual health-related issues to Deaf people, in part by communicating via British Sign Language (BSL).
It combines humour, sexuality and queer undertones to grab attention and cut through the stigma around HIV/AIDS. The message, expressed in fingerspelling, is to ‘use a condom’.
2. ‘Disabled People Fight Back’ banner (2014-15)
The slogan ‘nothing about us without us’ has become an iconic phrase in many protest movements. This banner was created as part of the ‘Disbanners’ collaborative project between the People’s History Museum and Full Circle Arts.
Banner maker Ed Hall worked with Disabled people across the north-west of England to design signs confronting the impact of the government’s austerity programme on disabled communities. Its visual style draws on classic Trade Union signs and evokes disability history’s rich tradition of using banners for creative activism.
3. Drag Syndrome by Scallywag Fox (2020)
Davina Starr is a core member of Drag Syndrome, a ‘fierce and fantastic’ collective of drag performers with Down’s syndrome.
Through sassy and bold performances, the troupe knock down pre-conceived ideas of disability, sexuality and gender.
This photograph was taken in 2020 by long-time collaborator Scallywag Fox, who has performed for the group for several years.
4. 'First Swim after Rebirth', 2018. Image from the series 'Inner Journey, 2014–ongoing
Photography can be a means to capture and process emotions that are difficult to put into words. This joyous self-portrait was taken by Marvel Harris following gender affirming surgery.
As an autistic person who has dealt with issues of self-acceptance, wellbeing and gender identity, Harris uses photography to connect with the world and create their own visual language and expression.
5. Piss on Pity T-Shirt (1992)
The iconic slogan ‘Piss on Pity’ comes from the 1990 protest at ITV’s charity ‘Telethon’ fundraisers. It was coined by organisers Alan Holdsworth and Barbara Lisicki, who together with activist Sue Elsegood formed DAN (Disabled People’s Direct-Action Network).
The irreverent phrase firmly rejected the demeaning depiction of Disabled people in the media and beyond as objects of charity, rather than equals. Only 100 of these T-shirts were made for the first event, but they have gone on to inspire disability activist and art movements for years.
This free exhibition is on display now until 4 October 2026. You can find more information here.