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LOCAL Friday 4 december 2020

“Building Back Better: Toward a Disability-Inclusive, Accessible

and Sustainable post COVID-19 Aruba”

ORANJESTAD — Because of yes- these people will not seek profes-
terday’s special day, Creative Is- sional medical help, largely due
lander wants to shed light and raise to stigma, discrimination and ne-
awareness in honor of those in our glect. Another 69 million individuals
community who most times feel are estimated to sustain Traumatic
forgotten. December 4rd the entire Brain Injuries each year worldwide,
world celebrates the International while 1 in 160 children are identi-
Day of Persons with Disabilities. The fied as on the autism spectrum”.
rainbow as we know it exists only (https://idpwd.org/). As a result of
due to the existence of different the COVID-19 health pandemic,
colors. In our community, let’s be isolation, disconnect, disrupted
allies for our people who live every routines and diminished services
day with a limitation, noticed or un- have significantly impacted the
noticed. Big or small limitations, we lives and mental well-being of
as a community should be open people with disabilities. Spreading
to learn and protect all people so awareness of visible and invisible
they feel empowered to live their disabilities, as well as these poten-
authentic lives. Reducing inequali- tially damaging— and not always
ties and ensuring no one is left be- immediately apparent— impacts
hind are integral to achieving the to mental health, is crucial as we the inclusion of persons with disabil- support the implementation of the
Sustainable Development Goals. continue to fight the battle against ities in all aspects of society and Convention on the Rights of Per-
the corona virus. development. The United Nations sons with Disabilities (CRPD) and
According to the WHO World Disability Inclusion Strategy (UNDIS) other international human rights
Report on Disability, “15% of the How did this start? “provides the foundation for sus- instruments, as well as the achieve-
world’s population, or more than 1 The International Day of Persons tainable and transformative prog- ment of the Sustainable Develop-
billion people, are living with some with Disabilities (IDPD) is historically ress on disability inclusion through ment Goals, the Agenda for Hu-
kind of disability. Of this number, and annually celebrated on 3 De- all pillars of the work of the United manity, and the Sendai Framework
it’s estimated 450 million are liv- cember to promote the full and Nations: peace and security, hu- for Disaster Risk Reduction”.
ing with a mental or neurologi- equal participation of persons with man rights, and development. The
cal condition— and two-thirds of disabilities and to take action for Strategy enables the UN system to Continued on Page 10