Each year on December 3rd, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities promotes the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. The day raises awareness of the political, economic, social and cultural aspects disability affects people around the world.
More than 1 billion people in the world have a disability. At 15 percent of the world’s population, persons with disabilities account for the world’s largest minority. Furthermore, one out of every seven people is affected by disability.
Definition and Types
Disability is defined as a condition or function that is significantly impaired. Types of disabilities include:
- Physical impairment
- Sensory impairment
- Cognitive impairment
- Intellectual impairment
- Mental illness
- Chronic disease
In 2006, the UN adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The CRPD declared accessibility and inclusion as fundamental rights for persons of disabilities. Unfortunately, much still needs to be done for these rights to be recognized.
The United Nations declared the year 1981 as the International Year of Disabled Persons (IYDP). This plan of action emphasized equal opportunities, rehabilitation, and prevention of disabilities. A significant outcome of the IYDP was the World Programme of Action Concerning Disabled Persons. The UN adopted the programme in 1982. Additionally, the UN declared the years 1983 through 1993 the International Decade of Disabled Persons. In 1992, one year before the close of that decade, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed December 3rd as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
This year, the theme for IDPD is “Leadership and participation of persons with disabilities toward an inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-COVID-19 world.”
Source: www.un.org
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