The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is celebrated globally every year on the 3rd of December.
The 2025 theme is “Fostering disability-inclusive societies for advancing social progress.”
It is important to raise awareness and consider that people with disabilities often have fewer opportunities. They usually face barriers that can limit their access to them, having in mind that the issue is not their disability itself, but the result of social, physical, and systemic obstacles.
These barriers can take many forms…
Physical and environmental barriers (transportation, public spaces and buildings that are not always accessible, ex. lack of ramps or lifts), social and attitudinal barriers (stereotypes that underestimate the abilities of persons with disabilities, discrimination that influences hiring, education, and social inclusion), limited access to education and training and employment challenges (inadequate support or understunding, lack of adaptive materials, equipment, accessible technologies and environments), communication barriers (lack of understanding of alternative or augmentative ways of communication, easy-to-read), etc.
And of course… sensory barriers.
This can relate to oversituation, referring to loud noises, bright lights, strong smells, or crowded environments, which can be overwhelming, causing stress or shutdowns… or it can refer to under-responsiveness, as some people may not notice important sensory cues, like a ringing phone or someone calling their name… this can lead to focus and attention challenges, as sensory distractions can make it hard to concentrate in classrooms or workplaces, because of having very low or high level of alterness.
Having difficulty processing tactile, proprioceptive, or vestibular input can lead to challenges with praxis and coordination, which can make it difficult to perform tasks which require coordination and planning, such as using tools or utensils, or doing gross motor tasks, like going up stairs, or organising a workspace, for example.
The brain receives and interprets sensory information about touch, body position, and movement in a different way, which then impacts the ability to form ideas, plan and execute motor tasks.
This day promotes the rights and well-being of individuals with disabilities and raises awareness of the barriers, but also values all the contributions that persons with disabilities bring to society.
PurpleSpace is a networking and professional development hub for employees with disabilities, and it promotes #PositivelyPurple, a global movement that celebrates and draws attention to the contributions of employees with disabilities around the world:
#PositivelyPurple
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