December 3 is dedicated to International Day of People with Disability bringing together individuals, businesses, community organisations, and governments to acknowledge the contributions, skills and achievements of people with disability.
The celebration is a United Nations sanctioned day with the 2011 theme being “Together for a better world for all: Including persons with disabilities in development”.
Promoting an understanding of people with disability and encouraging support for their dignity, rights and well-being are the aim of the event.
The aim, more than ever, is important this year as a recent report revealed that Australia ranked poorly when it came to job prospects for the disabled.
PricewaterhouseCoopers’ report also stated that 45 per cent of people with a disability in Australia live in or near poverty.
Everyone is encouraged to participate in this year’s celebrations by attending one of the many events throughout the country or by hosting an event in their local community.
This year the Patron of the event is the 2011 Australian of the Year recipient Simon McKeon who is a member of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Implementation Task Force and founding Chair of MS Research Australia.
For more information about the Day and to register your event, visit the International Day of People with Disability website.
For read the complete report “Disability expectations: Investing in a better life, a stronger Australia”, visit the PricewaterhouseCoopers website.
To find out more about the Workforce Council’s commitment to disability throughout Queensland, visit our Disability Sector Training Fund (DSTF), P300 and Residential Support Program (RSP) initiative pages.
