Disability pride flag
In 2022, Inner West Council became the first government body in Australia to raise the disability pride flag on a civic building.
Councill now proudly displays the flag on a selection of Council buildings each year to celebrate disability pride and the International Day of People with Disability.
Learn more about the history of the flag and its meaning below.
Disability pride flag (2021) by Ann Magill.
About the disability pride flag
The disability pride flag celebrates the breaking down of barriers that separate people with disability from society. It was first created in 2019 by Ann Magill, a US author, activist, and artist with cerebral palsy.
The flag incorporates five colours representing broad sections of the disability community:
- Green represents sensory disabilities
- Blue represents mental illness and psychiatric disabilities
- White represents invisible and undiagnosed disabilities
- Gold represents neurodiversity
- Red represents physical disabilities
The downward sloping lines represent the breaking down of barriers and 'walls and ceilings that keep us boxed in'. The closeness of the lines represent community solidarity and comradery between people with disability.
The flag's black background represents mourning and rage for victims of ableist violence and abuse.
In the initial design, the colours were arranged in zig-zag formation, referencing the creative way that people with disability overcome obstacles. Following community feedback that the zig-zag design created strobing that was problematic for some people, in 2021, Ann worked with the disability community to create a more accessible version of the flag replacing the lightning bolt design with straight diagonal lines.
The flag has become an important symbol of the disability pride movement worldwide.
Learn more about the disability pride flag on the Sydney Disability Pride website.
Inner West Council celebrates disability pride with our community at Inclusion Festival, an event held annually in December to mark the International Day of People with Disability.