International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Today is International Day of Persons with Disabilities, an awareness day by the UN designed to ensure basic human rights and quality of life for people living with disabilities of all kinds.  Their official statistics are that 15% of the world’s population live with a disability, but we think that if you include mental disorders like Dementia this figure should be significantly higher.

The Oxford Dictionary defines “disability” as:

noun (plural disabilities)

• 1a physical or mental condition that limits a person’s movements, senses, or activities

Although the huge leaps in progress towards enabling equal rights and quality of life for disabled people should be celebrated, there is still a long way to go, and we are at the precipice of massive changes in the demographics of our disabled population as we live longer.

This year’s theme is Break Barriers, Open Doors: for an inclusive society and development for all 

How do you think we can apply this theme to the disabilities facing our aging population?  Leave your comments below.