International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Today, December 3rd, is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. According the UN, "observance of the Day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life."

In this spirit, I want to share this vidoe "Steep Rain" which one of UK entries into the 2015 ENABLE film festival.  To see other previous entries, head to this page (and scroll halfway down).The 2016 selections will be announced this afternoon at the UN headquarters.  

The lead up to today has included a number of events and forums, such as discussions on how to make "Accessible Cities for All", and  "Building Capacity for Inclusive Development in Africa".  These themes clearly reflect the capacity and further potential for the field of Geography to contribute to making the world a place for all. It might be a utopian ideal, but perhaps one day there will no longer be the need to celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities - or even for blogs like this.  In the mean-time, if you are interested in seeing what other activities are taking place today, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, check out #adayforall or the associated Facebook page.