Celebration of disabilities, ADA is Saturday in Crystal Lake

A free event celebrating people with disabilities, the first of its kind in the area, will take place in Crystal Lake Saturday, July 26.

The Disability Pride Event will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Grant Street parking lot. Saturday also marks the 35th anniversary of the passing of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

[ Youth baseball team gives kids with disabilities the chance to play ball ]

“That was what I wanted this event to be, just the celebration that disabled people are everywhere and they need to be included,” HLC Therapy Group Occupational Therapy Director Sara Zielinski said. “They need to feel supported, and a lot of times they are not.”

It all started with a cold email from Zielinski to the Downtown Crystal Lake/Main Street Organization asking if they would be interested in helping put on the event with HLC Therapy Group. HLC is a Lake in the Hills-based pediatric therapy provider offering speech, occupational and physical therapy services.

Zielinski knew she wanted to host the event in Crystal Lake because of the welcoming community her two adult twin brothers who live with disabilities found.

“It doesn’t matter where we go; people know them,” Zielinski said. “We’ve always had this family joke that they are the unofficial mayors of Crystal Lake because everybody knows them.”

The event aims to highlight the diversity and lived experiences within the community of people living with a wide array of disabilities, from physical and sensory to developmental and behavioral.

“It is a community that anybody can join at any point in their life,” Zielinski said. “You don’t think about that, but all it takes is a car accident, a brain injury, an aneurysm. It’s not just somebody born with a disability that is part of the disabled community.”

Officially established in 2015, July is considered National Disability Pride Month. Chicago has been hosting an annual disability pride parade since 2004, and now Crystal Lake can be added to the list of events.

“It’s the first of its kind outside of Chicago, as far as I know, in Illinois,” she said.

Nearly 30 entities are scheduled to attend, including nonprofits, organizations and small businesses that identify as having owners with disabilities or serving people with disabilities. Entertainment will include a DJ, live music, a comedian and a performance by the Kingpins drum line, which Zielinski‘s brothers are a part of.

Small local businesses include Cary-based Ashley’s Soap Business, Two Fresh Brothers, Gloria’s Art and Bundles of Beads.

Wonder Lake-based Dogs on the Go will also be there. The nonprofit trains and provides hearing assistance dogs for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Dog on the Go aims to provide assistance dogs regardless of clients’ socio-economic status by providing tiered pricing based on income. The nonprofit trains shelter dogs and right now has a terrier-mix named Jack who is looking for the perfect fit for his forever home.

Zielinski hopes that the event will provide education and awareness. Organizers initially received negative comments and the event was also being confused with gay pride events.

“If nothing else, this event has given us an opportunity to show that other communities can have pride in their community,” she said.

For this year, organizers anticipate 300 to 500 attendees. But they don’t plan on this being a one-and-done event and are already talking about ideas for next year. Zielinski said she would love for it to grow and get more performers.

“The sky’s the limit for next year,” she said.