The theme for this years International Day for Disabled People on 3rd December 2015 is Inclusion Matters.
Are we making it easy enough for young people and adults to positively identify as a disabled person in 2015?
Channel 4's return of the superhumans video trailer is tongue in cheek of course but there is a serious message behind it about how 'disabled' people are perceived. The negative image of the villain has been sufficiently perpetuated to become a stereotype which we can all recognise.
One of the sub themes on this day which celebrates disability pride is about improving data and statistics. Less than 1% of the 26,000 modern apprentices in Scotland identified themselves as disabled, even though a larger percentage of those young people would actually fit with the definition of 'disability' under the Equality Act.
That's just one example of how low disclosure rates can skew data and statistics. Skills Development Scotland launched their Equality Action today and Lead Scotland in partnership with the Equality Challenge Unit have been engaging disabled people to make recommendations to encourage disability disclosure to ensure people receive the support they need.
We still meet people who don't know how the Equality Act can support them, particularly learners who are marginalised and/or have lower literacy levels so thought I'd share this easy to read version of the Equality Act which we have found useful as a tool for empowerment.
We respect people's choices about how they define themselves and ultimately what's important is that people feel equal, receive fair treatment and become empowered to overcome any barriers they are facing. We will need to all work harder to look at the nuanced picture; the intersection of disability with other protected characteristics and how disabled people use words like impairment and disability today if the data and statistics are to truly support inclusion.
Happy International Day of Disabled People!
