International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2024

20 November 2024 - by Christina Sanakidis, Manager – Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), December 3, was established by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 1992 to promote the rights and well-being of people with disabilities. IDPD also commemorates the UN’s adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities in 2006.

The IDPD is a reminder of the ongoing need to break down barriers, challenge stereotypes, and create a world where individuals with disabilities can fully participate and thrive in life. This year, we would like to raise awareness about the prevalence of disabilities in our society, the different types of disabilities, their impact, and ways we can all promote the inclusion of disabled persons.

How common are disabilities?

According to the Canadian Survey on Disability, in 2022, 27% of Canadians ages 15 and older — or 8 million people — had one or more disabilities that limited them in their daily activities.

There are many types of disabilities. They can be permanent or temporary, exist from birth or be acquired later in life, permanent or episodic, visible or invisible. Some disabilities overlap with one another, and their symptoms and presentations vary.

Types of disabilities

Invisible disabilities

This IDPD, we invite you to deepen your understanding of disabilities beyond visible ones and learn about invisible disabilities. In a society where disabilities are often marked by signage of a figure in a wheelchair (think parking spaces, ramps, electronic doors), a disability that does not have immediately noticeable physical features, behaviours, or assistive devices can challenge our preconceptions of what a disabled person “looks” like.

Not being “seen” as disabled can make securing accommodations difficult and may require a person to justify or convince others that they are disabled. Revealing an invisible disability can come with social stigma, disapproval, disbelief, and judgment.

When we assume that all disabilities are visible, we risk alienating large groups of people .

Examples of invisible disabilities

Chronic pain: A range of conditions, including injuries, digestive disorders, bone disease, and autoimmune disorders. It can include fibromyalgia, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, back injuries, hyperthyroidism/hypothyroidism, endometriosis, and more.
Chronic fatigue: A type of disability causing an individual to feel constantly tired, exhausted, or mentally “foggy.” It may be a disorder itself or a symptom of another disability. Examples include HIV-AIDS, sickle cell anemia, diabetes, immune dysfunction syndrome, and sleep disorders.
Mental illnesses: This encompasses a wide range of syndromes with impacts that can vary between individuals and over time. Examples include anxiety, depression, attention deficit disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
Gastrointestinal disorders: These disorders affect digestion and food processing, and impacts may range from minor to debilitating. Examples include Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and diverticulitis.
Processing disorders: These can take various forms, including auditory or sensory, and impact an individual’s ability to receive, analyze, or make sense of information. Examples can include full or partial deafness, sensory modulation disorder (SMD), sensory-based motor disorder (SBMD), and sensory discrimination disorder (SDD).

One of the most common invisible disabilities is neurodivergence. It’s important to note that not everyone who is neurodivergent considers themselves to have a disability.

What is neurodivergence?

Neurodivergence is defined as having a style of neurocognitive functioning — thinking, behaving, or learning — significantly different from what is considered “typical” by societal standards. For example, some people may need to do some kind of repetitive movement (often called stimming) to focus. Neurodivergence includes people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), dyspraxia, dyslexia, dyscalculia, and Tourette syndrome. Others may also identify with the term.

The Y's approach and call to action for IDPD

The YMCA of Greater Toronto uses an intersectional approach to creating vibrant communities where everyone can shine. Disability is one of the central pillars of our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Strategy. Our goals include adopting and promoting universal design principles and advancing a strength-based and intersectional approach to disability. This means using an equity-minded approach to make our programs, services, and spaces accessible for all abilities.

We invite you to use the links embedded in this blog to learn more about disability and accessibility. Let’s work to dismantle ableism through acts of disability justice and to update the language we use to speak with and about people with disabilities.