In 1992, the United Nations proclaimed December 3^rd International Day of Disabled Persons.   The annual observance promotes “the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development, and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.”  Building an inclusive and accessible community benefits not only persons with disabilities but the whole community.  Accessibility is a fundamental right and enables persons with disabilities to have equal access to every facet of life, participate fully in the community, and live independently.

Current World Statistics

• One billion people in the world have some form of disability
• More than 100 million disabled persons are children
• Fifty percent of disabled persons cannot afford health care
• Eighty percent of people with disabilities live in a developing country
• Forty-six percent of people over the age of 60 have a disability
• 285 million people globally are estimated to have a visual impairment
• Persons with disabilities are among the hardest hit by COVID-19

In 2019, the UN launched the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy.  Using this strategy, they reaffirmed “that the full and complete realization of the human rights of all persons with disabilities is an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of all human rights and fundamental freedoms.”  With nearly 15 percent of the world’s population living with some form of disability, it is crucial that we build an inclusive and accessible world.