03/12/2024
Today we are acknowledging International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
More than 1.3 billion people globally, 16% of the global population, live with some form of disability and many of them face barriers which prevent them from certain roles especially leadership roles. Therefore, this year the focus and theme is about ‘amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future’.
Through the years many persons with disabilities have overcame barriers to achieve incredible things in their field. Some notable people include…
- Frida Kahlo – Frida suffered from polio as a child and was involved in a severe bus accident as a teenager which led to many surgeries. She eventually became one of Mexico’s greatest artists.
- Stephen Hawking – Stephen was diagnosed with a form of motor neurone disease and went onto being one of the world’s most famous scientists.
- Helen Keller - Helen suffered from an illness at a very young age which left her blind and deaf before she had even learned to read or write. Helen eventually became a skilled writer and speaker and is the most well-known deafblind person in history.
It is important that we keep raising awareness of this, promoting the leadership of persons with disabilities in all areas of life and including them in all aspects of society so we can begin to remove some of the barriers they currently face.
https://social.desa.un.org/issues/disability/events/2024-international-day-persons-with-disabilities
