International Day of Persons with Disabilities is a holiday observed every December 3rd, designed to shine a light on the issues affecting people with disabilities all over the world.

Making society more inclusive for people with disabilities is not only essential to upholding their basic human rights but also helps society move closer to peace and security. That’s why everyone should take the opportunity to observe this holiday when it comes around on the calendar.

The History of International Day of Persons with Disabilities

This holiday can be traced back to 1992 when the UN General Assembly passed Resolution 47/3. The goal of this resolution was to promote the well-being and rights of people with disabilities in all parts of society.

It also aimed to increase awareness of the problems facing disabled people in just about every area of society. Disabled individuals often have problems with basic access to political and social spheres of society and often have to deal with economic problems and cultural inequity.

Important Disability Facts

The fact of the matter is that millions of disabled individuals all over the world face discrimination and a basic lack of access in society. To highlight some of these problems, we’ve listed some facts about disabilities and disability discrimination below. Hopefully, these bullet points will make everyone more aware of this problem.

• The poverty rate for people with disabilities is over 47%.
• Over 1 billion people all over the world live with some type of disability.
• Disability is more common among the poor and women.
• Half of the disabled people worldwide fail to receive the health care they need.
• Worldwide, children with disabilities are less likely to go to school than non-disabled individuals.
• People with disabilities are more likely to be unemployed than non-disabled people.
• People with disabilities are more vulnerable to poverty.
• In many countries, rehabilitation services are limited. Rehabilitation helps to support independence and maximize the functioning of the disabled individual in society.
• Approximately 40% of people with disabilities don’t have their basic needs met.
• Adopting a national strategy, promoting access to mainstream services, and investing in programs for disabled people are some of the things governments can do to dismantle barriers for the disabled.
• Governments can also increase public awareness, promote policies that ensure the involvement of disabled individuals, and provide adequate funding for programs.

Observing International Day of Persons with Disabilities

This holiday can be observed by taking some time out of your day to think about and engage with the issues faced by disabled individuals.

Some people use this day to protest against the inequities faced by disabled individuals in our society, while others use it to promote awareness about the day. There are also often art exhibits, poetry readings, and other activities performed by disabled and disabled-allied artists on this day.