The world is observing International Day of Persons with Disabilities for the 20th year today. The theme for 2012 is “Removing barriers to create an inclusive and accessible society for all,” and the background material found on the United Nations Enable website makes explicit that these barriers can be physical, technological, political, and societal; all of which are nicely illustrated in this simple YouTube video (below) made by an EU-funded organization based in Italy, known as Associazione Italiana Amici di Raoul Follereau, or AIFO.
UNESCO is using the occasion to launch an online community dedicated to advancing the accessibility of information and communication technologies (ICT) in learning environments. This will include the first publication of a report on “Accessible ICT and Personalized Learning for Students with Disabilities.”
Research findings about employment for people with disabilities will be a focal point of the festivities at the Vienna International Film Festival for Human Rights. That is when an Austrian initiative called the Zero Project will release its 2013 findings, which its blog says will include the following:
- Survey of 23 Social Indicators on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 55 countries
- Survey of 10 Social Indicators focusing on the employment of persons with disabilities in 82 countries
- 40 Innovative Practices that promote the employment of persons with disabilities
- 11 Innovative Policies that promote the employment of persons with disabilities
Austria is also one of at least four countries screening the award-winning documentary Body and Soul in conjunction with International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The 2010 film by director Matthieu Bron tracks the lives of three women with disabilities in Maputo, the capital city of Mozambique. Each of them invites viewers into their daily lives to see how they work to overcome barriers and make their community more inclusive.
While reports and forum discussions on these serious matters is crucial to making life matter more for people with disabilities, the goal of International Day of Persons with Disabilities is ultimately celebratory of the contributions these individuals make in their communities. Thus, artistic performances play an integral role in the many observations, including at the UN headquarters in New York City, where students from the NY Institute of Special Education will start the day’s events with a special musical performance.
In Australia, people with disabilities will take part in a theatrical production called “All the World’s A Stage,” which Aussie Theatre blogger Cassie Tongue says will feature performances from six different theater troupes.
The day is also a celebration of sorts for American Training, which began this blog on December 1 of last year with the story of Adil Sinai, the son of Pakistani immigrants who was working two jobs with the aid of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technology. I hope you have enjoyed the journey thus far and thank you for reading.
Image by Yahoo! Accessibility Lab.