Thousands of people have marched in New York’s first Disability Pride Parade.

Wheelchairs, guide dogs and other aids became commonplace in the march through the centre of Manhattan on Sunday, after Mayor Bill de Blasio launched the inaugural event.

The event carried the tagline ‘Inclusion, Awareness, Visibility’, and featured a range of signs that pushed for better access to public transport and housing, as well as calls for a greater general level of acceptance in society.

“Disabled and proud”, a sign carried by a woman in a wheelchair read.

“Just because I can't speak doesn't mean I don't have a lot to say”, one man’s sign stated.

Mayor De Blasio said July was “Disability Pride Month” in honour of the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

The march will be an annual event in New York, similar to Disability Pride Parades already held across the United States and around the world.