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International Day of People with Disabilities ambassadors on challenging public perceptions.
This Wednesday, the experiences of the disability community will once again be showcased across the globe as it observes the International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD), an annual event focusing on how society can strive for inclusivity through the removal of barriers for people with disability.
Since 1992, the IDPwD has been utilised as an opportunity to be part of creating an inclusive and diverse community for the 5.5 million people with disability in Australia, according to the website.
James Parr is a model, content creator, educator and disability advocate, having lost his leg in 2019 as a result of bone cancer.
As one of this year’s ambassadors for the International Day of People with Disabilities, Mr Parr says he has always advocated for the disability community, even prior to becoming a part of it.
I worked in special education for four years with children…I was also an advocate then and just wanting them to be happy and to be well within society as best they could. I was working with other people that would stereotype them and I think that also gave me the fuel and insight to that.
James Parr
Mr Parr remembers waking up from having his leg removed feeling like the same person he was before the surgery. However, the content creator says he was instantly treated differently.
“There were times where I felt like an outcast, purely because of the way people treated me… people's attitudes had changed within 24 hours and that really shocked me.”
Mr Parr believes the difference in treatment was due to misrepresentation.
“The wrong narrative being shared around people with disability…how disability is defined and narrated within media in Australia. And I think for me, I had to unlearn what disability meant to be comfortable with it."
When asked what the International Day of People with Disabilities means to him, Mr Parr boasted the notion of amplifying voices from within the disability community.
“It's just a really great way to showcase people with a disability and also be able to start the conversation and continue that conversation, not only with the ambassadors, but really with the whole of Australia.”
Maree Jenner, a short statured woman, joins Mr Parr as another ambassador for the International Day of People with Disabilities. A woman of many talents, Ms Jenner volunteers with the advocacy organisation, Short Stature People of Australia, while working as an access coordinator for Accessible Arts New South Wales, and also facilitates disability inclusion awareness programs in primary schools.
Ms Jenner says the programs educate children about valuing different abilities and experiences.
It’s creating that awareness of invisible and visible disabilities, encouraging them to be allies for one another and to be champions for change.
Maree Jenner
“When I was younger, it was awkward. It was much more challenging. I had to break a lot of barriers and challenge people's thinking very early on.”
On her appointment as an International Day of People with Disabilities ambassador, Ms Jenner says she was honoured to be chosen.
“Everybody has the right to an education, seek a career…and have those experience just like everyone else does. It's really important…this is a government driven initiative through via the United Nations. And that's where the type of programs that I facilitate in schools, which we need more of, will build a more inclusive world for future generations,” the advocate says.
If you would like to know more about the International Day of People with Disabilities and how you can take part, click here.
The International Day of People with Disabilities is an annual event held on the 3rd of December.