We are proud to be championing International Day of People with Disabilities which takes place on 3rd December.
We have designed a week-long campaign on our website and social media channels (30th November – 6th December) with the aim of celebrating the day and raising awareness of the importance of creating a future where disabled people experience equal opportunity and face no barriers in all aspects of their lives.
The 2020 theme ‘Not all Disabilities are Visible’ focuses on spreading awareness and understanding that all disabilities are not immediately visible, such as mental health conditions, chronic pain or fatigue, sight or hearing impairments, diabetes, brain injuries, neurological and cognitive conditions and learning difficulties, among others.
Our activity will shine a light on challenges disabled people face when going about their day-to-day lives, especially during Covid-19.
During the pandemic, disabled people have reported feeling ‘isolated’ and ‘unsafe’ and that Covid-19 has ‘made the things I find difficult even more difficult’.
Hope Murray, 23 from Dunfermline explains: “I have a visual impairment, so my disability is not obvious although it does mean that I struggle to read certain fonts or, due to my depth of perception as a result of my eye sight being off, I walk into people or objects.
“This means I am sometimes challenged, or people look at me sideways as they don’t understand because they can’t see my disability. Sometimes it upsets me, but the majority of the time I’ve kind of learned to accept it. After all, my disability makes me, me!
“Living with a disability has been even more difficult during Covid-19 as I have to now wear a facemask which means my glasses steam up making it even harder for me to see.”
She added: “My advice to people whose disability is not always apparent is just ask for help if you need it. It’s not a bad thing after all to have a disability, it’s what makes us all unique.”
Commenting on the campaign, Susan Douglas-Scott OBE, Chair of ILF Scotland said: “ILF Scotland is proud to take part in this year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities and look forward to introducing you to some incredible disabled people over the coming days.”
