Released 03/12/2017
Canberrans are encouraged to take part in a series of special events across town to mark International Day of People with a Disability (I-Day).
I-Day is celebrated across the world every year on 3 December. I-Day is an important opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the contribution, skills and achievements of people with disability.
This year’s I-Day theme is Transformation towards a sustainable and resilient society for all—a theme which is important because all too often, people with a disability may not feel heard or recognised by the society around them.
Events for I-Day will run across Canberra over several days, including the DETONATE Festival at Belconnen Arts Centre. The Festival is an explosion of art and collective celebration of dance, music, markets, art, film screenings, and choir.
The Communities at Work art exhibition is on from 5 - 10 December at Tuggeranong Art Centre, and People with Disabilities ACT is screening the Canberra premiere of Defiant Lives on 4 December at 6:30pm at Dendy Canberra. Defiant Lives is an Australian-made documentary on the disability rights movement.
ACTCOSS is hosting an innovative forum on 8 December to investigate how we can better engage on health issues affecting people with disability through playing an interactive game they have developed.
I encourage all Canberrans to celebrate I-Day and to use this opportunity to reflect on the contribution people with disability make to our community, and on what each of us can do in our daily lives to help build a more inclusive Canberra.
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Rachel Stephen-Smith, MLA | Media Releases