Sister Basilia Centre (SBC) is celebrating the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) today, December 3. IDPD is an important occasion that aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development, and to increase awareness of their situations in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.
SBC will be observing IDPD through a week filled with activities involving both SBC clients and the community in hopes of bringing forth awareness to persons with disabilities within the community. On Monday, the centre introduced the week with various games and group activities for its clients.
On December 3, SBC is observing IDPD with a flag parade on the premises which will be followed by a motorcade. The motorcade starts at SBC through Belair, unto Front Street, Back street, and back to the centre. On Wednesday, group leaders and their clients will carry out an assessment, which will include the White and Yellow Cross, checking for accessibility for all clients with disabilities. On Thursday, Basilia is hosting a sports day together Milton Peters College (MPC) at Raoul Illidge sports complex. The festivities come to an end on Friday with a talent show held at the centre, where clients will showcase their talents for families and friends.
In celebrating IDPD, Basilia hopes to educate the community on persons with disabilities through the identification of the social and environmental obstacles they face within our community.
Group and assistant unit leader Arleen Bailey-Illidge shares how a disability is not always what we assume. “In some way, there are many who may have some sort of disability or health impairment, this could be through the use of glasses for reading or medication to manage pain. “However, with a mentally or physically disabled person, their disabilities present more limitations and impairments such as the use of a wheelchair that often leave them excluded in many ways within our community,” she said.
Arleen concludes by saying it is important that we provide and promote inclusiveness for persons within our community that have a disability. That we respect them and remember that their disability does not necessarily define them; it is just one aspect of that person. “We (SBC) hope to break the stigma surrounding persons with disabilities.”
The theme for this year’s IDPD observance is empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring their inclusiveness and equality in society by “leaving no one behind”.
The annual observance of IDPD was proclaimed in 1992, by the United Nations General Assembly resolution and since then has been annually observed on December 3 around the world.