December 3rd marked International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). The theme for 2020 is: “A day for all.”
The theme reflects a growing understanding that disability is part of the human condition, and almost everyone will be temporarily or permanently impaired at some point in life, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
The Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department in the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA), says disability is a global public health issue that affects one in seven people worldwide.
CPS urges the community to work with local organizations who represent people with disabilities, adding that December 3rd and beyond, to continue to celebrate abilities of people with a disability and to ensure the integration of people with a disability in every aspect of life and this way one promote the rights of people with a disability.
The WHO estimates that more than one billion people – about 15% of the world’s population – experience some form of disability and this includes about 93 million children and 720 mill adults with significant difficulties in functioning. This figure is predicted to rise given population ageing and an increase in the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases.
While disability correlates with disadvantage, not all people with disabilities are equally disadvantaged. Much depends on the context in which they live, and whether or not they have equal access to health, education and employment, among others.
Persons with disabilities according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), defines disability as an umbrella term for impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions.
Disability is the interaction between individuals with a health condition (e.g. cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and depression) and personal and environmental factors (e.g. negative attitudes, inaccessible transportation and public buildings, and limited social supports).
The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons was proclaimed in 1992, by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly resolution 47/3.