International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2021

It was International Day of Persons with Disabilities on the 3rd December 2021, and Adam Fenton, the Chair of our Disability Working Group, offered the following words:

“Today we celebrate the achievements, power, and resilience of disabled people worldwide. This last year has hit the disabled community particularly hard. We have lost so many wonderful members of that community, and are still feeling the strain, pain, and isolation of the current landscape. Again, we are forced to be resilient in a world that creates obstacles to our lives, so much so that we often have to neglect our own wellbeing in order to survive.

I wanted to take this opportunity to offer a permission of care and rest to any D/deaf, neurodivergent, disabled person reading this. You are worthy and deserving of the adjustments you need. It is your right to feel safe and supported.

What I ask of non-disabled people and allies is to allow for that space, show compassion to those whose body and minds work different to yours, and educate yourself on the barriers others experience that you may not be aware of. Together we can step/wheel closer to understanding.”