International Day of Persons with Disabilities

What is International Day of Persons with Disabilities?

International Day of Persons with Disabilities, proclaimed in 1992, by the UN General Assembly, aims to create meaningful change for the disabled community. This is done by developing a deeper understanding in the community, highlighting the circumstances people with disabilities face daily and promoting their rights.

It is recognised on the 3^rd of December every year. The theme for 2023 is TBC.

The estimated one billion people with disabilities worldwide encounter numerous obstacles to inclusion in many essential dimensions of society. They do not have access to all aspects of society, including sectors such as transportation, job, education, and social and political participation.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities and Employment

Eliminating physical obstacles can make a workplace more accessible for everyone and they may be easy to identify. However, the support you can offer people with disabilities goes deeper than just physical. Employers can:

• Start your journey to becoming a Disability Confident Employer
• Ensure policies and procedures are inclusive
• Adopt an inclusive recruitment approach, to accommodate individual’s needs.
• Train all employees on Disability, the Equality Act 2010, legal requirements, and unconscious bias.
• Carry out Workplace Risk Assessments
• Make their workplace physically accessible with:
  • Designated disabled parking spaces
  • Wheelchair accessible doorways and entrances
  • Safe and usable ramps and lifts
  • Clearing trip hazards, keeping walkways clear
  • Emergency evacuation procedures
• Support employees by providing reasonable adjustments, consulting with employees on their needs to make sure suitable solutions are provided. These can include
  • Screen reading software
  • Specialist or lightweight equipment and furniture
  • Flexible working arrangements
  • Access to Work assessment, to allow for taxis over public transport, support workers, interpreters and more.
• Best practice employers have been known to provide reasonable adjustments for all, to normalise the need for extra support and create truly inclusive workplaces.
• Support guests with materials in different formats, large prints, easy to read colour contrasts, braille or sending these in advance.