The International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) is here as a reminder that while the world has come a long way over the years, the fight for equality and inclusion is far from over. Here’s everything you need to know about its theme, and what it means to the people who it was created for.
More than 4 million people live with a disability in Australia, and at least 1 in 10 have experienced discrimination, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. That’s at least 400,000 people.
It’s imperative that we keep disabled people at the forefront of our activism in every sphere, so let’s dive into what this important day is calling for.
What is the International Day of People with Disability?
The International Day of People with Disability is a day observed by the UN Nations every year on December 3. It’s aim is to increase awareness of the issues that affect people with disabilities, so that in the long term we can have a more understanding, inclusive and compassionate world.
The IDPwD does this by platforming disabled folks who want to share their lived experience. It also provides resources and fact sheets to governments, schools, workplaces community groups and just everyday joes who want to learn more.
Anja Christoffersen, 25, is a model, speaker and author from the Sunshine Coast who lives with VACTERL Association — a complex condition that affects multiple parts of her body (VACTERL stands for vertebrae, anus, heart, trachea, esophagus, kidney and limbs). She’s also an ambassador for International Day of Persons with Disability.
To her, the International Day of People with Disability should be a reminder not just for allies to educate themselves, but to spark action too. It’s an especially important day for her in terms of recognition, because people who have “invisible” conditions like her are often left out of the conversation.
“This day signifies a time where we can all pause to have conversations about accessibility, inclusion and the almost 20% of Australians who have a disability (even though to me, we should be doing this every day),” she said.
What is the International Day of People with Disability’s 2023 theme?
Every year since 1992, the UN announces a theme for International Day of People with Disability. The 2023 theme is “United in action to rescue and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for, with and by persons with disabilities.”
Obviously, that is a bit of a mouthful. In simpler terms, the theme calls for us all to work together to make the world a better place for people with disabilities — it shouldn’t be up to them alone to constantly fight and advocate for themselves.
Hannah Diviney, an advocate for better inclusion of disabled folks and women and an ambassador for International Day of Persons with Disability, said that everyone needs to step up for things to change.
“For us to do our bit, allies have to work first,” she told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
What are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?
The “Sustainable Development Goals” the UN is referring to is a list of 17 goals it created that, if all member countries actually reach, could bring peace and prosperity to all. The goals are as follows:
- No poverty
- Zero hunger
- Good health and well-being
- Quality education
- Gender quality
- Clean water and sanitation
- Affordable and clean energy
- Decent work and economic growth
- Industry, innovation and infrastructure (this means building resilient *and inclusive* infrastructure)
- Reduced inequalities
- Sustainable cities and communities
- Responsible consumption
- Climate action
- Life below water (conserving the ocean and being more sustainable with the way we use it)
- Life on land (protecting wildlife and practicing sustainability)
- Peace, justice and strong institutions
- Partnerships for the goals
If you’re wondering what these goals have to do with people with disabilities, the answer is that every aspect of people’s lives can be affected by these issues — by fixing them, we automatically make the world more accessible and inclusive.
The goal of better infrastructure, for example, could mean having more inclusive buildings, in the form of having ramps, lifts and other forms of wheelchair access.
Given earlier this year we saw frustration from disabled folks about not being able to see properly from their seats at concerts, it’s an issue that is really important and yet often subject to ignorance and oversight.
How can I do my bit to help?
There are a lot of ways allies can show up to support people with disabilities in their fight for better inclusivity — educating yourself, amplifying the voices of people with disabilities (instead of speaking over them), donating to important organisations and volunteering to give your assistance to aid groups is a good place to start.
However, it’s also important not to infantilise or objectify people with disabilities — a growing issue with well-meaning people who, in trying to uplift disabled folks, fall into the trap of turning them into commodities for us to watch and feel inspired by.
Diviney says she’d like allies to see “disabled people as human”, which might sound like an odd request until you interrogate just how it is we actually talk about disabled folks.
“I don’t mean that in an inspiring/heartwarming/charitable/pitied lens which are the default if our humanity gets recognised at all,” she said.
“But in a legitimate, full way that recognises our agency [and] power.”
A good takeaway is this: The International Day Of People With Disability is an important day, but really, we should be advocating and fighting for change every day. Let’s use this day as springboard to make that a reality.
Image: Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images
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