Every year on December 3rd, millions worldwide commemorate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPWD).
Officially declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 1992, IDPWD was born out of a vision to create inclusive and accessible societies where people with disabilities can live and thrive without ableist barriers.
While each year has a different theme, IDPWD is generally used to celebrate and promote the rights, dignity, and well-being of people with disabilities and to bring attention to the disability justice movement.
How to Observe the International Day of Persons with Disabilities in Your Workplace
Support Organizations and Small Businesses Led by People with Disabilities
There are plenty of small businesses and organizations across North America that are led by talented, creative, and innovative people with disabilities. For example:
Consider supporting deaf-owned restaurants, such as Mozzeria, by giving your employees an employee discount or visiting the restaurant for an excellent team meal.
Consider supporting disability-identified artists by encouraging employees to visit art galleries run by people with disabilities, such as Tangled Disability Arts.
Consider supporting non-profit organizations run by blind people, such as the AFB or CNIB, by donating to their various programs and initiatives.
Re-iterate Your Commitment to Accessibility
Taking some time to present any changes you have made to your workspace and culture over the past year to your team, and/or encourage them to make suggestions about how to make your workspace and culture more accessible. For example:
Adding wheelchair ramps
Hiring ASL interpreters whenever necessary
Adjusting the suggested work routine to accommodate better neuro-divergent folks
Open up Your Space for Disability Justice Advocates
Invite advocates for disability justice and inclusion to give a workshop or participate in a panel about the current barriers and struggles facing people with disabilities and the work being done on the ground to change the status quo. Allow your employees and team members to learn how to best support the movement.
Update Your Website and Social Media
By making some minor changes, you can ensure that your content is easily accessible to everyone interested in your work.
Ask yourself these questions:
Do you accompany all images on your website or social media with descriptive image captions?
Do all of your videos have subtitles?
Do you avoid special characters or fonts eligible for assistive reading technology?
Do you ensure that your text is written in a font color that is easy to read?
If you answered no to any of these questions, you may not be up to date on the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
Communication Template for International Day of Persons with Disabilities
[Subject: International Day of Persons with Disabilities]
Hi everyone, Saturday, December 3, is a day of awareness for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
It was officially declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 1992. It is a day to raise awareness and promote an inclusive and accessible society where people with disabilities can live and thrive without ableist barriers. IDPWD is used to celebrate and promote the rights, dignity and well-being of people with disabilities and to bring attention to the disability justice movement.
Data about Persons with Disabilities from the World Health Organization:
About 15% of the world’s population (over 1 billion people) are estimated to have a disability or experience being disabled at some point in their lives
The number of people with disabilities is increasing due to an increase in chronic health conditions
Disability is more prevalent in lower-income countries, highlighting the correlation between disability and poverty
Thank you for growing and learning with us.
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