Disability Awareness

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. The celebration will include our second annual Disability Awareness Celebration presented by Nestlé at Progressive Field on Friday, July 18.

As part of our ongoing efforts to ensure everyone has a chance to be part our game, the Guardians work in partnership with local community organizations to provide learning and education to our staff and teammates throughout the entire year. We know that jewel events like Disability Awareness Night allow us to intentionally spotlight the collective stories of hope, struggle, and opportunity that make our city and team better.

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.

Friday, July 18 – Disability Awareness Celebration presented by Nestlé

Join the Guardians for a night of education and celebration for all fans.

• Ceremonial First Pitch by Alexandra Martinez, Ms. Wheelchair Ohio 2025
• National Anthem performance by McKenzie Love, accompanied by Bedford High School ASL Performers
• Game ball delivery from Doug Blecher, Founder of Autism Personal Coach & The Neurodiverse Culture Festival
• First-ever Disability Awareness Resource Fair behind the SeatGeek Infield Lounge (5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.)
• Special fan giveaways from the Cleveland Strikers
• In-game content highlighting Disability Awareness resources on the scoreboard
• Post-game Phantom Fireworks show presented by Sheetz
• And more!

Fans can upgrade their experience and purchase a Theme Night ticket for the June 18 game to receive a limited-edition jersey featuring the “Disability Pride C” logo.

The Guardians are proud to partner with local organizations to support Disability Awareness:

• Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities
• Kulture City
• Cuyahoga County Advisory Committee on Persons with Disabilities
• Progressive Insurance Disability Awareness Network
• Northeast Ohio Coalition of Disability Organizations
• Wraparound Experts
• Wheel of the World
• Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities
• LEAP
• Adaptive Sports Ohio
• Connecting for Kids
• Best Buddies
• Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center
• NEO Challenger

Cleveland Guardians social platform, CLE Inspires, will highlight different Disability Awareness initiatives throughout the month of July. CLE Inspires will focus on the work done by our community partners.

Additionally, CLE Inspires will share highlights from the Cleveland Guardians Disability Awareness Celebration at Progressive Field on Friday, July 18.