International Day of People with Disabilities 2023

What is International Day of People with Disabilities?

International Day of People with Disabilities (IDPD) is an annual opportunity to recognise and celebrate people with disabilities globally.

People with disabilities make up the largest minority group in the world, being one in every six people globally. Yet, around the world, they are among the most marginalised. People with disabilities are systematically excluded from all aspects of society and often live in the world’s poorest countries, putting them at greater risk of extreme climate change events, displacement and poverty.

This IDPD, we are platforming the voices of people with disabilities. People with disabilities are the experts in their lives and it is essential that they play a leadership role.

Join us in hearing from people with disabilities in our region, as they share their stories and discuss some of the barriers to inclusion they face.

Equity

People with disabilities represent the most disadvantaged and marginalised group within any society, and can be even further marginalised because of their gender, ethnicity, age or immigration status.

Accessibility

Accessibility is a fundamental precondition for participation and inclusion, and equity. Yet, throughout all touchpoints in society, people with disabilities face barriers to access, whether that’s access to health and social services, housing, education, employment, water and sanitation, transport or other social infrastructure.

Gender

People with disabilities belong to a community rich with a broad spectrum of experiences and identities. Disabilities – like the people who live with them – are unique and nuanced.

Women with disabilities are doubly marginalised due to their disability and gender and are more likely to be excluded from decision-making spaces, 2-4 times more likely to experience intimate partner and family violence than those without disability and face significant barriers to accessing justice.

These challenges can be compounded if your gender identity doesn’t conform to the socially accepted norms in your communities.

For people with disabilities who are gender diverse or have a sexual orientation other than cis gender, intersectionality can create further barriers to inclusion and put them at greater risk of abuse, neglect and exploitation.

Climate change

The climate crisis is escalating at a rapid rate.

Extreme weather events, propelled by climate change, are causing havoc in the poorest countries, those least responsible for the green-house gas emissions that are driving climate change. And its people with disabilities in these communities who are most at risk. People with disabilities are four times more likely than those without disabilities to lose their lives as a result of disasters. Yet they are routinely left out of disaster preparedness and climate change adaptation efforts.

People with disabilities and their representative organisations must be fully included in responses to climate change, from needs identification and programme design to delivery and evaluation. As experts in understanding their context and identifying their needs and capabilities, people with disabilities have a valuable role to play in building innovative solutions.