People living with disabilities are often faced with a world that is extremely challenging, leaving them and their families with feelings of anxiety, frustration and isolation. Struggles to adequately access basic rights and freedoms most of us take for granted, frequently make their life a misery.

In 1992, at the end of the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons, the UN General Assembly proclaimed December 3 as International Day of Disabled Persons. It was established to promote:

    • An understanding of disability issues
    • The rights of persons with disabilities
    • The gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities into every aspect of the political, social, economic and cultural life of their communities.

In December 2007 the day was renamed International Day of Persons with Disabilities and focus shifts every year to a different aspect of living with disabilities. In recent years these have included:

    • 2006 – E-accessibility
    • 2008 – Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Dignity and justice for all of us
    • 2009 – Making the Millennium Development Goals Inclusive: Empowerment of persons with disabilities and their communities around the world.

This year’s focus follows on from that of last year with “Keeping the promise: Mainstreaming disability in the Millennium Development Goals towards 2015 and beyond.” The promise can be found in the content of The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Convention recalls, recognises and reaffirms the inherent dignity, worth and equality of all members of the human family. It also emphasises the importance of mainstreaming disability issues as an integral part of relevant strategies of sustainable development. The challenge is not only in increasing the numbers of states that sign and ratify the Convention, but also in the physical adoption and rollout of its principles and obligations. Among primary concerns are:

    • Raising awareness of rights and freedoms
    • Increasing access to services such as health, education and housing
    • Expanding skills acquisition and employment opportunities.

A revolution in societal perceptions of people living with disabilities is long overdue, and it is a basic measure of our understanding of the development of human potential, human rights and diversity that we treat people of all abilities with the respect and dignity we all deserve.

Our Employee Wellbeing Programme (EAP) is available 24 hours a day if you want to know more about disability.