International Day of Persons with Disabilities - 3 December 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

We mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December every year.  It has run for 30 years since 1992.

Started by the United Nations, the day aims to generate support for inclusion of persons with disabilities and raise awareness about disability issues.  It also promotes the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities at every level of society.

Disability inclusion is about valuing people’s differences and strengths and removing the difficulties that might hold them back.

Not all disabilities are visible.

In 2022, the theme for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities is ‘Not All Disabilities are Visible’.  Some disabilities, like mental health disorders, chronic pain and fatigue, and neurodiversity are invisible – but that does not make them any less impactful to someone’s quality of life.  

International Day of Persons with Disabilities provides the opportunity to think about making the workplace more accessible and what reasonable adjustments we can make to ensure that colleagues with disabilities can contribute and perform fully as part of our wider team.

Working towards an inclusive Council

 

 

 

We are committed to change how we think and act about disabilities and mental health in the workplace and make sure that employees who are facing these problems feel supported.  We have previously signed the Time to Change employer pledge.  We are a Disability Confident organisation.

We are committed to promoting an inclusive culture for all staff.

What can you do?

Join us and the United Nations in observing International Day of Persons with Disabilities to reinforce the importance of securing the rights of people with disabilities.  This will help everyone participate fully, equally and effectively in society, and face no barriers in life.

Help us establish a disabled staff network

During National Inclusion Week, the Council made a pledge to commit to inclusion. You can read that article and other National Inclusion Week pieces here. We also invited people to show their interest in joining a disability staff network. 

We already work with two staff networks – Diverse for black and ethnic minority staff and GLAM for LGBTQ+ staff.  The networks give people a voice to make sure that we think about the issues that affect them in the workplace.  We think it would be helpful if we could hear from colleagues with disabilities so that we take their needs into account in our workplace policies and practice. 

If you would like to be involved, please contact Colin Davies.  

If you are concerned about discrimination or harassment, or want more information about how to report it, please refer to the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s grievance policy.