Today is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.  In 1992, after The United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons (1983-1992), the UN General Assembly proclaimed December 3rd as the International Day of Disabled Persons.  On December 18, 2007, the name was changed from the “International Day of Disabled Persons” to the “International Day of Persons with Disabilities”.

The theme of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities this year is “Removing barriers to create an inclusive and accessible society for all”. According to Statistics Canada Participation and Activities Limitation Survey, “Approximately 1.5 million people in Ontario have disabilities, representing 13.5 percent of Ontario’s population.”  While statistics can be a useful tool, they do not represent the whole picture.  Disability is a very fluid concept and for some, a label they do not identify with.  This is particularly true for people in the Deaf community who do not identify as having a disability.

A culturally Deaf person is a person for whom sign language is their first language.  According to the Deaf Culture Centre,  “The Deaf community is comprised of culturally Deaf people in the core of the community who use a sign language (e.g. American Sign Language or Langue des Signes Quebecois) and appreciate their heritage, history, literature, and culture. The Deaf community is also comprised of other individuals who use the language and have an attitude that makes them an accepted part of the community though they may not be in the core of the community.”  Rather than seeing deafness as a disability, being deaf is just like speaking another language.

At some point in our lives we may all experience a disability, whether mental or physical. Today, on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, take some time to reflect on what disability means to you and how you experience it in your life.  Let us also acknowledge and admire the many amazing contributions made to our society by those who have transformed disability into something beautiful that moves the human spirit, like dancer Spirit Synott.

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