Dec 03 - International Day Of People With Disabilities
Today is the international day of people with disabilities. This celebration, created by the United Nations, seeks to raise public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people worldwide who live with a disability.
It is about celebrating all that is possible by people who have a disability and everything that they are capable of. Locally, and with this in mind, this year’s Gibraltar Christmas stamp has been designed by adults with learning disabilities who attend St Bernadette’s Resource Centre. The aim of this is precisely to demonstrate the abilities of people with an intellectual disability and showcase it in a prominent way, as opposed to focusing on people’s disabilities.
Since taking office, the Government says it has made huge advances in improving the lives of people with disabilities, whether they be physical, intellectual or both.
One of the most significant commitments by this Government is the implementation of the UN Convention of the Rights of People with Disabilities. The legislation that gives effect to this has now been drafted and the related reviews are now almost complete and shall shortly be forwarded to stakeholders for consultation.
“As Minister for Equality I am immensely proud of the enormous progress that we have made on the disabilities front since we have taken office. In addition to all the work that has already been undertaken, we are now at a stage where developments will be taken to the next level by giving effect to the UN Convention. I am very excited by this next stage: the UN convention is essentially about providing a framework to ensure the removal of all barriers that exist for people with disabilities, whether they are to the physical environment, people’s attitudes or policies, practices and procedures. A lot of work has already gone into the drafting of this by our legal team and I am looking forward to discussing the draft with the key stakeholders”, said Samantha Sacramento Minister for Equality, Social Services and the Elderly.
