World Disability Day

We live in a world of rallies, protests and speaking out against injustice. No longer will people sit back as children are taught to murder as soldiers in civil wars, or as young girls are being sold as prostitutes. They refuse to look the other way when millions of children are forced into labor. Hollywood has used its resources to bring attention to the injustices around the world through movies like Hotel Rwanda and Blood Diamond.But where is the outcry against the mistreatment of those with disabilities? These children are abused even in countries where there isn’t political unrest. There are about 150 million children in the world living with a disability. Many of these vulnerable children are exploited because of their disabilities. They are abandoned by their families, left without education and surrounded by a stigma of being untouchable.

But each year, December 3 marks World Disability Day. The day is set aside for those with disabilities and their advocates to demand the acknowledgement of their needs. The 2007 World Disability Day was the 11^th event and was celebrated in many countries around the world. Participants flooded the streets of Patna, India, chanting, “We don’t want kindness… we want education.” The day is also intended to celebrate those with disabilities. As one blogger wrote, “Of course, for many of us all 365 days of the year remind of our disability, so perhaps this occasion should be used to celebrate our abilities.”