International Day of People With a Disability (IDPWD) is held annually on 3 December. It aims to increase public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disability and celebrate their achievements and contributions.
The IDPWD theme for 2020 is ‘Not all Disabilities are Visible’. The theme brings a strong focus on spreading awareness and understanding of disabilities that are not immediately apparent, such as mental illness, chronic pain or fatigue, sight or hearing impairments, diabetes, brain injuries, neurological disorders, learning differences and cognitive dysfunctions, among others.
As 1 in 5 Australians have some form of disability, it’s likely that we will either know, meet or be a person with disability at some stage in life.
What would you want your CFA experience to be like, if you were a person with disability?
Would you want to feel welcome and be seen (and treated) as the person you are? Would you want to be supported to undertake roles within your ability? Would you want barriers for your inclusion and involvement to be reduced, or even removed? Would you want the stigma of disability to be broken down?
If your answers were yes, you're already on your way towards creating a safe and supportive environment in CFA for people with disability. Continue to increase your understanding and support on IDPWD and beyond, by:
Learning more
Increase your and your members’ understanding of disability by:
- Completing the Disability Inclusion training module is available to all members via the CFA Learning Hub
- Visiting the Australian Network on Disability (AND) website
- Inviting a guest speaker with disability to talk online at a DPC meeting, Inclusion and Fairness Council meeting, team or brigade meeting about their experience. Check if they are comfortable doing so or if they require any adjustments to be able to participate!
Showing visible support
- Hold a virtual recognition event to show your support
- Post photos online to show your support on brigade and district Facebook pages
- Raise awareness through conversations - a great way to start a conversation is to use the IDPWD background on MS Teams
Seeking out local events in your community for IDPWD
- Seek out other International Day of People with Disability events in your local area by contacting your local government or your local disability support community groups
- Encourage and support members from your regional and district offices to attend these online events
The Inclusion and Fairness Team are keen to hear what your team or brigade is doing to celebrate International Day of People with Disability.
If you have a story or photo to share, contact the Inclusion and Fairness Team at inclusionandfairness@cfa.vic.gov.au