This year marks the 33rd year since the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the annual observance of an International Day of Disabled Persons. Now, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPwD), which is held each year on 3 December, has become a day to promote the human rights, wellbeing, awareness, and acceptance of persons with disabilities within our shared communities.
Although there have been major strides both in Australia and internationally to promote disability awareness, foster inclusion, and shift social attitudes around disability since this day of observance was announced in 1992, disabled people still face systematic marginalisation, discrimination, and exclusion. As this year’s theme for International Day of Persons with Disabilities is ‘Fostering disability inclusive societies for advancing social progress’, we now need to have the hard conversations surrounding how our society is failing to be truly inclusive and focus on the intersectional needs of people with disabilities.
Already we are seeing steps towards legislative change to support people with disabilities in Australia with review of anti-discrimination legislation both with the Australian Government’s review of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) and New South Wales’ review of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW). But creating a truly inclusive society goes beyond merely meeting legal requirements. It involves actively questioning and pushing back against attitudinal assumptions that create stigma and isolation; designing and implementing education with principles of universal design for learning from the start; building accessible infrastructure and environments that facilitate free movement; designing technology to ensure disability accessibility; creating inclusive workplaces that recognise and meet the diverse needs of people with disabilities; and much, much more.
It is therefore our duty, as members of a shared community, to take the time and listen to the voices of people with disabilities, understand what barriers we still face, and learn how we can come together as a community to create truly inclusive societies that finally remove all social, attitudinal, physical, environmental, and technological barriers to disability inclusion.
Sarah Huffman
SUPRA Disabilities Officer
Support on campus
The University’s Inclusion and Disability Services (IDS) provides support and adjustments to students with disabilities, student carers, and students with chronic or temporary health conditions that interfere with their studies. IDS adjustments can include access to assistive technology, extra time to submit assignments, timetable adjustments, and more. If you’d like help with applying for support through IDS, contact our casework service.
SUPRA’s Disability and Inclusion Network organises events and engages in advocacy for postgraduate students with disabilities across the University. To get involved in the network, contact SUPRA’s Disabilities Officer Sarah: disability@supra.usyd.edu.au.
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