Disability Pride Night

The Cleveland Guardians are excited to celebrate and honor Disability Pride Month! Disability Pride Month happens every July to mark the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was passed on July 26, 1990. On July 24, the Guardians will celebrate its first-ever Disability Pride Night presented by Nestlé at Progressive Field to spread awareness on important issues facing people with disabilities.

As part of our ongoing efforts to become a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization, the Guardians will also be working in partnership with local community organizations to provide learning and education to our staff and teammates throughout the entire year. While we seek to uplift the voices and experiences of people with disabilities 365 days a year, we know that flagship events like Disability Pride allow us to intentionally spotlight the collective stories of hope, struggle, and opportunity that make our city and team better.

We are thrilled to celebrate and honor our diverse community of fans with disabilities. Our goal is to provide an inclusive and enjoyable experience for everyone attending tonight's game. While we strive to create the most inclusive environment possible, we recognize that we are still on a journey towards greater accessibility and inclusivity. We understand that there is always more to learn and improve, and we are committed to listening, learning, and making continuous enhancements to better serve our community.

We’d like to thank our fans, partners, and staff in advance for their patience and support as we work towards these goals.

Wednesday, July 24 – Disability Pride Celebration presented by Nestlé

Join the Guardians for a night of educational and inclusive experiences celebrating all fans.

• National Anthem performed by Shaye & Sharita Taylor with a special ASL interpretation performed by students from Bedform High School
• Ceremonial First Pitch from Krista Allison, former Ms. Wheelchair Ohio and Disability Rights advocate
• Game ball delivery by Gabriel Davis representing Youth Challenge and The Cavs Wheelchair Basketball Team
• Special giveaways from the Cleveland Strikers featuring the “Disability Pride C” logo
• In-game scoreboard content highlighting Disability Awareness resources on the scoreboard
• A special update to our Sensory Room in partnership with Culture City
• Closed captioning available on the MLB Ballpark App
• Learning & training partnership with Good Life Ambassadors from the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities

Fans who purchased a Special Ticket Package for the July 24 contest will receive a limited-edition Guardians Disability Pride T-Shirt. A portion of the proceeds from each Special Ticket Package will benefit Kelly Petty Scholarship Fund.

The Guardians are proud to partner with local organizations to support Disability Pride

• Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities
  Cuyahoga DD, established in 1967, strives to serve people of all ages who have a developmental disability and reside in Cuyahoga County. Cuyahoga DD is part of the state's developmental disabilities' system, which is overseen by the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD). DODD certifies both people (independent providers) and agencies that provide an array of services directly to people with developmental disabilities.
• Kulture City
  KultureCity is a nonprofit organization which trains staff at venues and then certifies venues which have sensory inclusive modifications.
• Cuyahoga County Advisory Committee on Persons with Disabilities
  The Board serves as an advocacy group for persons with disabilities within Cuyahoga County. The Committee helps support organizations on areas of employment, law, architectural, and attitudinal barriers and other relevant issues concerning persons with disabilities.
• Progressive Insurance Disability Awareness Network
  Progressive Insurance’s Disabilities Awareness Network (DAWN) is an Employee Resource Group (ERG) at Progressive that’s seeks to provide support and awareness for all disabilities, both seen and unseen.