During the week of Thanksgiving, I had the pleasure of vacationing and traveling in Ireland and I had a fantastic time. One of the many topics written in various newspapers and on TV news programs was International Day of Persons with Disabilities. It was interesting to read and hear how other countries support individuals with disabilities and how this specific day and throughout the month of December is supported and celebrated. I would like to share several parts of various articles I read while researching this very important day.
What is International Day of Persons with Disabilities?
International Day of Persons with Disabilities is celebrated on December 3rd and continues until the end of December. It is a day to help everyone become more compassionate and understanding of the challenges faced by people with disabilities. The day doesn’t discriminate between mental and physical disabilities, and the spirit of the day is to ensure that all people in the world have equal opportunities for work, play, health, and success. People with disabilities can be and very often are contributing valued members of society, and in December is all about appreciating them. There is an estimated one billion people living with disabilities worldwide facing many barriers to inclusion in some areas of society. As a result, they do not enjoy access on an equal basis as others which includes areas such as transportation and employment but also social participation like politics or entertainment.
How To Observe International Day of Persons with Disabilities?
· Become an advocate for people with disabilities
· Look around your community and the places you frequent. If accommodations for people with disabilities are not in place, ask the shop owner, mall manager and/or your elected officials to install them. It’s the law.
· Lend a helping hand
· Inquire at your local senior center or residence, or of the nurses at an outpatient clinic, if they know of someone who needs assistance. Offer to help. Sometimes just delivering a medication, dropping off the mail, or picking up a few things at the grocery store, simple tasks for you, would make the world of difference to someone with a disability.
· Show some compassion
· When you’re tired, agitated and in a rush, you know you can sometimes be irritable. Don’t snap at someone who’s slowing you down, or take your frustrations out on them. They could be a person with a disability. If so, their lives are always like that, while your problems are probably not that serious. Don’t let any bad humor they exhibit ruin your day. This is when a smile can smooth everything over.
Why International Day of Persons with Disabilities Is Important?
· It builds awareness of people with disabilities
· People with disabilities sometimes feel invisible in our society. People rush around them in their daily routines, barely noticing them. Try to make eye contact and smile and be available to help should they seem to be having difficulties.
· We need to understand the difficulties people with disabilities have
· The treasured parking space right in front of the pharmacy, the sloped curbs at intersections with the textured mats in place so the vision impaired folks can feel the curb end, the buttons to open doors automatically, even elevators on the Subway are all in place to make a difficult life a little easier for a person with disabilities. Notice these accommodations today, and then notice how few of them there are.
· It’s more than a day, it’s the law
The Americans with Disabilities Act was created to define the rights of people with disabilities and the design standards which businesses and municipalities must incorporate to comply with the law. Called the ADA, it is quite clear in the standards required, and a familiarity with it could be most helpful to anyone who has a disability.
Source of Information: Various Google Searches and Newspaper Articles
Until Next Time, Stay Safe and Well!