Sharing Knowledge: International Day of Persons with Disabilities - December 3

Humber College and the University of Guelph-Humber (the College) is committed to providing an accessible learning, working, and living environment for the Humber community. It is the College’s goal to create a community that is inclusive of all persons and supports all members of the community in an equitable manner. In creating such a community, the College aims to foster a climate of understanding and mutual respect for the dignity and worth of all persons.

December 3: International Day of Persons with Disabilities

United Nations 2020 Theme: Building Back Better: Toward A Disability-Inclusive, Accessible and Sustainable Post COVID-19 World

The annual observance of the “International Day of Disabled Persons” was proclaimed in 1992 by United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3. The day aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development, and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.

Today, the day has become the “International Day of Persons with Disabilities”, and the theme this year is “Building Back Better: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 World”.

Disability inclusion is an essential condition to upholding human rights, sustainable development, and peace and security. It is also central to the promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to leave no one behind. The commitment to realizing the rights of persons with disabilities is not only a matter of justice; it is an investment in a common future (United Nations, 2020).

The COVID-19 pandemic particularly impacts persons with disabilities. As we have seen with this crisis, intersectionality matters. The global pandemic has disproportionally impacted Blacks, persons with disabilities and persons identifying as women.

Statistics Canada

The Government of Canada, over the last 30 years, broadened its definition of “disability”. Recognition of ‘disability’ today includes cognitive and mental health-related impairments and barriers to participation in society (Statistics Canada, 2018a).

Highlights of the 2017 Report on Disabilities:

  • Women (24%) were more likely to have a disability than men (20%)

  • Disabilities related to pain, flexibility, mobility, and mental health were the most common disability types

  • One (1) in five (5) or 22% of the Canadian population aged 15 years and over – or about 6.2 million individuals – had one (1) or more disabilities

  • Among individuals aged 25 to 64 years, 76% of those with mild disabilities were employed, whereas 31% of those with very severe disabilities were employed

  • Persons with more severe disabilities (28%) aged 25 to 64 years were more likely to be living in poverty (as measured by the Market Basket Measure) than their counterparts without disabilities (10%) or with milder disabilities (14%)

Humber Is Committed To Individuals with Disabilities

The College supports and facilitates the accommodation of individuals with disabilities. Accommodations ensure that individuals with disabilities have access to all the opportunities that the College offers. Humber will work to eliminate or minimize the adverse effects of all forms of barriers.

The College is committed to supporting the goals of the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). The College will continue to establish policies, practices and procedures which are consistent with the accessibility standards established under the AODA, to identify, remove and prevent barriers to people with disabilities. The goal is to become a barrier-free environment in the activities of the College including the learning, working and living environment.

Achieving the above stated goals depends on the participation of each member of the College community including students, faculty, staff, alumni, volunteers, and guests. Each of these parties has a role in creating an equitable and inclusive environment, as well as in the accommodation process and the identification, removal, and/or reduction of barriers. The consultative relationship among members of the College community is based upon a shared desire for an open, supportive learning, working, and living environment and a shared respect for individual rights and dignity.

Resources:

1. Statistics Canada (2018a). The evolution of disability data in Canada: Keeping in step with a more inclusive Canada. Retrieved on November 20, 2020 from:https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-654-x/89-654-x2018003-eng.htm

2. Statistics Canada (2018b). A demographic, employment and income profile of Canadians with disabilities aged 15 years and over, 2017. Retrieved on November 20, 2020 from:https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-654-x/89-654-x2018002-eng.htm

3. United Nations (2020). Theme 2020:  Building Back Better: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 World. Retrieved on November 20, 2020 from: https://www.un.org/en/observances/day-of-persons-with-disabilities

 

Document is available in an alternate format upon request.