Each 3rd December marks International Day of Disabled People. The day is promoted by the United Nations and celebrated across the globe to increase public awareness, understanding and acceptance, and to celebrate the achievements and contributions made by disabled people. Around the same time is also Disability History Month that seeks to reveal an often hidden history of disabled people, by themselves in their voices and from their experience.
Both events are not only an opportunity for everyone to celebrate disability pride, but also to explore the very real challenges and barriers that can disable people who live with impairments. By disabled people and people who live with impairments we refer to the social model and include a broad range of issues, i.e. mental health, learning difficulties, physical, sensory and other impairments, chronic illness and other health related issues.
Last year in York, a partnership group made of the York Independent Living Network, York Explore, International Service and York Human Rights City put on a one day event at Explore (central library) to mark International Day of Disabled People last December.
Our short film, the ‘International Day of Disabled People 2016 in York’ shows some of the highlights from the day. The day was A great success. We are planning to do something similar this year and are holding an open meeting from 10 to 11.30am on Wednesday 19 July at York Explore where we will show the film and begin planning. Our hope is that more and more individuals and organisations get involved in running and attending events and that these become part of York’s annual calendar. We are therefore keen to hear from like minded people and organisations either by your attendance on 19th July or by getting in touch. Please contact admin@yiln.org.uk or 07752 365 297 (leave a message with your name and contact details)
If you’d like to attend or get involved, you’d be most welcome.
Please let us know in advance if you can any access requirements. York Explore is fully accessible to anyone with mobility impairments. It also has a hearing loop system (but needs to know in advance so that it can set this up). If you need signers or any other access facilities we will need notice to get these organised. Please let us know by Tuesday 10 July.