For the first time, Wauwatosa raises the Disability Flag at City Hall

Quinn Clark, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Updated ·2 min read
B.J. Ermenc, member of the Wauwatosa Commission for Persons with Disabilities, has helped lead the effort to raise disability awareness in Wauwatosa.
B.J. Ermenc, member of the Wauwatosa Commission for Persons with Disabilities, has helped lead the effort to raise disability awareness in Wauwatosa.

For the first time in the city's history, the Disability Flag was raised July 24 on Wauwatosa City Hall's flagpole.

All week, the flag, also known as the Flag of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, will be raised in celebration of the 33rd anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Signed into law on July 26, 1990, the ADA gives civil rights protections to people with disabilities. But there's still work to be done when it comes to awareness and education, said B.J. Ermenc, member of the Wauwatosa Commission for Persons with Disabilities.

"There are a number of people who not only have invisible disabilities, but they live with a perceived shame of having a disability, and that is not right," said Ermenc at the flag raising ceremony.

City and state officials attended the flag raising ceremony, approved by the Wauwatosa Common Council on July 18, hosted by the city's Commission for Persons with Disabilities.

Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride wrote a proclamation that recognizes National Disability Independence Day in the city of Wauwatosa that will go into effect on July 26, the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride wrote a proclamation that recognizes National Disability Independence Day in the city of Wauwatosa that will go into effect on July 26, the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

"The city was absolutely amazing at going through all of the steps to have the permission to fly this flag," Ermenc said.

City staff places the Disability Flag on Wauwatosa City Hall's flagpole. The flag will be raised all week in recognition of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
City staff places the Disability Flag on Wauwatosa City Hall's flagpole. The flag will be raised all week in recognition of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

The city's mayor, Dennis McBride, read his proclamation that recognizes July 26 as National Disability Independence Day in Wauwatosa.

"One quarter of adult Americans have disabilities, so just about every family in America has someone in it who has disabilities," said McBride. "Some are mental, some are physical. My family is no different than any other."

Rep. Robyn Vining, D-Wauwatosa, speaks before the Disability Flag was raised on Wauwatosa City Hall's flagpole on July 24.
Rep. Robyn Vining, D-Wauwatosa, speaks before the Disability Flag was raised on Wauwatosa City Hall's flagpole on July 24.

Rep. Robyn Vining (D-Wauwatosa) attended the ceremony "to celebrate the contributions of people with disabilities to Wauwatosa, to Wisconsin, to the United States of America," she said.

"We know that a fair Wisconsin is an accessible Wisconsin, and a Wisconsin that truly values every single one of us and what we bring to society," Vining said. "May we move Wisconsin forward together."

The Disability Flag is raised on Wauwatosa City Hall's flagpole for the first time in recognition of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
The Disability Flag is raised on Wauwatosa City Hall's flagpole for the first time in recognition of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Quinn Clark can be emailed at QClark@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Quinn_A_Clark.

More: For the first time, the Disability Flag will be carried in Wauwatosa's Independence Day parade

More: An 18-acre, $10 million park designed for accessibility will be built in Wauwatosa

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Disability Flag raised at Wauwatosa City Hall for first time