International Day of People with Disability 2022
While we celebrate people with disabilities every day, today is an important time to reflect on our work, acknowledge our allies and raise up our advocates within the community, and use the media attention from today to broadcast those messages we all fight daily to be heard. IDPwD gives us an opportunity to highlight the value of an inclusive and accessible world, and what it provides to both the consumer and the businesses.
This year’s theme, announced by the UN in October, is “Transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable world“.
Put simply? We see this as using innovating ideas to provide solutions in making the world accessible and inclusive for all.
GetAboutAble, founded on the mission to make travel and tourism accessible and inclusive for everybody, strongly believes in the idea that travel is an important part of life and everyone should be able to enjoy exploring the world around them.
Statistics show that 1 in 5 people are recognised as having a disability, which means for every 5 people you know, 1 person is underrepresented, undervalued and presented with a world that is not built for them.
How does GetAboutAble resonate with this year’s theme?
As we head into 2023, GetAboutAble is preparing to host our third year of the Accessible & Inclusive Tourism Conference in the Asia-Pacific. Over the last two years of the conference, we have seen many innovations presented which are transforming the accessibility and inclusiveness of tourism, including design like Hotel Brooklyn, interpretation and translation through ILA, sensory tours like Cocky Guides, apps like Cérge for elevating customer service and wayfinding technology like BindiMaps, Access Keys and mobility mapping.
“Every problem has a solution.”
This year, GetAboutAble was presented with the opportunity to administer the ACT Government’s 2022 I-Day Grants. It was such an honour learning about the work this year’s applicants do within our community, to ensure that Canberra is an inclusive home and destination for all.
We would like to once again congratulate the grant winners for 2022, listed below, along with the events they will be facilitating for IDPwD and beyond.
University of Canberra: Students and staff on University of Canberra’s Bruce campus will celebrate I-Day 2022 and aim to raise awareness of the talent and contribution of individuals within our community, encourage participation and inclusion in higher education and celebrate diversity at Australia’s #1 university.
Tease-able Accessible Burlesque Dance classes: An inclusive and accessible dance program for beginners and intermediate burlesque dance students. There’s also an opportunity to perform in a real show at the end of term showcase.
Daydream Machine Expo: Daydream Machine Expo will celebrate I-Day by showcasing twenty-three neurodiverse Canberra young people aged 10-21yrs. All current Daydream Machine participants will be given the opportunity to exhibit and sell their artistic creations. Some of the talents on display include: artists, musicians, authors, jewellery designers, photographers, computer-animators, sculptors, graphic-designers and sound-engineers.
Hotel Etico: In celebration of I-Day, Hotel Etico will host an event in Canberra, bringing together potential participants, partners, community, and other interested parties, to showcase their open employment model.
Hands on Studio: Members of the public will be invited to join the Hands On community at their O’Connor studio on I-Day (3 December 2022) between 10:30am-14:30pm for a day of storytelling through the production of art making and sharing a BBQ lunch.
Happy Beat Dance Crew: In celebration of I-Day, Happy Beat Dance Crew will showcase an inclusive dance instruction for the whole community.
Belconnen High School: The 2022 I-Day celebration will involve several activities including a screening of a short film, demonstrations on what inclusion looks like, books available to borrow and more.
A Stellar Lineup: The Stellar Company presents a stunning lineup of Canberra’s most engaging community dance companies, celebrating the power of inclusion and excellence in inclusive arts.
Interested in finding IDPwD events running today in your local area? You can check out the IDPwD community event calendar.
Happy International Day of People with Disability, and we look forward to continuing to support and advocate in 2023 and beyond.