International Day of People with Disability (IDPWD) is celebrated each December to increase public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disability and celebrate their achievements and contributions.
The UN announces a theme for IDPWD every year – the theme for 2022 is ‘Transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable world.’ This theme recognises the complex humanitarian challenges facing the world today and encourages governments, the public and the private sector to work together to find solutions that ensure an equitable and accessible society for people with disability.
LGBTIQ+ People with Disability
In 2018, around 18% of people in Australia were living with disability. In a 2020 survey of LGBTIQ+ Australians, the number of people with disability was 38.5%
For LGBTIQ+ people with disability, being part of more than one minority group presents unique and overlapping challenges. Often LGBTIQ+ people with disability will have to ‘come out’ many times across their lives – not just in relation to being LGBTIQ+ but also about their disability. There are very few services or supports available that are specific to the needs of LGBTIQ+ people with disability.
This month, as IDPWD prompts us to think of innovative solutions for equity and accessibility, LGBTIQ+ Health Australia would like to place focus on the ‘Our Voices, Our Lives, Our Way’ project. This project aims to strengthen the existing knowledge, skills and confidence of LGBTIQ+ people with disability to share their stories for advocacy and to get involved in their communities
Be sure to sign up for our mailing list to receive more information and be updated when Our Voices, Our Lives, Our Way goes live.