International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Year 1981 was declared by the United Nations Organization as the International Year of Persons with Disabilities. The major outcome of the year was the adoption of the World Programme of Actions concerning Disabled Persons in 1982. The period from1983 to 1992 was declared by United Nations a UN Decade of Disabled Persons and thus the time framework was set during which government were supposed to implement activities recommended by the World Programme of Actions concerning Disabled Persons.

The main point of the World Programme of Actions concerning Disabled persons is to "create equal opportunities" which is defined as the right of persons with disabilities to achieve full participation in all aspects of society life.

Measures of the World Programme of actions are focused in particular on the prevention of disablement, rehabilitation and equalization of opportunities. Measures concerning prevention of disabilities include for example better nutrition, improvement of health services (above all prenatal and postnatal care), education and training in order to reduce number of accidents and the diagnostics of possible symptoms of disablement which is deemed as the most important measure of disablement prevention. It is proved that programmes aimed at prevention of disablement, or their elimination, are less expensive, from the long-term point of view, than the follow-up care for persons with disabilities.

As far as the sphere of rehabilitation of persons with disabilities is concerned, specific roles play above all high-quality health care, rehabilitation services, social, psychological and other consulting services. Rehabilitation should be done preferentially in natural environment of persons with disabilities and should be supported by community-based social services on informal basis and by specialized institutions to achieve utmost integration of persons with disabilities in the society.

In the framework of equalization of opportunities of persons with disabilities, a very particular accent is put on their high-quality education, preferentially in a normal school system so that they would be able to find jobs on the labour market.

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities should contribute to the meeting of commitments of the international community and to the enhancement of integration of persons with disabilities in the society. This day provides participating parties – governments, civil societies and organizations associating persons with disabilities – with an opportunity to focus on the issues of disablement, on the possibility of full integration of persons with disabilities in the society and on highlighting contributions that persons with disabilities mean for society.

On the occasion of celebration of that important day, number of conferences, discussions of experts and information campaigns aimed at right of persons with disabilities and their position in society are held all over the world. The International Day of Persons with Disabilities should also serve for enlightenment and enhancement the society awareness of issues relating to disablement, for reminding barriers and limitations which persons with disabilities, despite adoption of number of international documents, have to cope with when asserting their rights. Last but not least, this day should every year become an impulse for a change and enhancement of rights of persons with disabilities and their chances for full participation in all areas of the society life.

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is every year connected with a special topic which determines an area which the greatest attention should be paid to in the following period. This year's topic has its roots in the document of the United Nations Organization "Millennium Development Goals". The Millennium Development Goals cannot be by no means achieved without full participation of persons with disabilities. These persons, their needs and interests are not properly included in the control mechanisms of development goals.

Although the international community adopted in the past lots of commitments relating to persons with disabilities and their inclusion into all aspects of the society development, the difference between intended measures and the actual reality remains. With regard to this fact, the main slogan of this year's International Day of Persons with Disabilities has been chosen, which reads: "Keeping the Promise: Mainstreaming Disability in the Millennium Development Goals towards 2015 and beyond". The topic chosen should bolster the process of full inclusion of persons with disabilities in all areas of society life and to ensure consistent and effective fulfilment of Millennium Development Goals.

This year the Government Board for People with Disabilities organizes, on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, already 17th gala evening which will be held on 2 December 2010 at the Lichtenstein palace on Kampa Island in Prague. There is a tradition that this gala evening is connected with awarding prizes in the Contest of the Government Board for People with Disabilities for journalistic works aimed at the issues of disablement. Prizes are awarded in three categories: press, television and radio, to those authors who in the best way highlight the issues of disablement. In the course of reaching a judgement, it is in particular considered how the work in question can address general public and inform it about the topic, and how it can positively influence the attitude of the public to people with disabilities.