Disability is a common issue in our country. People think disability is a curse. They are unable to do anything. Now this thinking is changing. Disability means differently able. They can do anything by modifying themselves or modifying environment.

Rabeya Ferdous Occupational Therapist National Institute of Neurosciences & Hospital(NINS), Dhaka Email: [email protected],

3rd December is international disability day. Every year people celebrate the day in different countries. The day has been promoted by the United Nations since 1992. The aim of Disability Day is to encourage a better understanding of people affected by a disability, together with helping to make people more aware of the rights, dignity and welfare of disabled people, as well as raise awareness about the benefits of integrating disabled persons into every aspect of life, from economic, to political, to social and cultural. Disability Day is not concerned exclusively with either mental or physical disabilities, but rather encompasses all known disabilities, from Autism to Down Syndrome to Multiple Sclerosis.
The history of disability day
Everything started in 1976, when the United Nations General Assembly made the decision that 1981 should be the International Year of Disabled Persons. The 5 years between the making of that decision and the actual Year of Disabled Persons were spent contemplating the hardships of the disabled, how the opportunities of the disabled could be equalized, and how to ensure the disabled take part fully in community life enjoying all of the rights and benefits non-disabled citizens have. Another issue that was touched on was how world governments could go about preventing disabilities from touching people in the first place, so much of the talk was about the viruses and other illnesses that lead to various kinds of disability. The decade between 1983 and 1992 was later proclaimed the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons, and during that time, all of the concepts previously created became parts of one long process that was implemented in order to improve the lives of disabled persons the world over.
How to celebrate disability day
Each year since 1992, a variety of events are held in many countries. Disability Day is used for holding discussions, forums and campaigns relating to disability and communities are encouraged to organize meeting, talks, and even performances in their local areas. These can range from hosting a musical to a play, with disabled people being involved in these productions.
 The overall aim is to show non-disabled people that a person with a disability can be a vibrant member of society, as it happens that the entirely healthy are not always quite aware of this fact, which can lead to different kinds of
discrimination of varying degrees of severity.
The disabled, on the other hand, benefit from such performances by proving to themselves that there are many things they can still do, despite their conditions, which can help with their self-esteem and avoid mental issues such as depression from plaguing them. In general, these kinds of events are meant to challenge and them get rid of various stereotypes so that disabled people can enjoy lives free of discrimination and additional hardship.
Each year the day is celebrated there is an emphasis on a new aspect related to improving the lives of people living with a disability. Each year the UN announces a theme. This year the theme of this day is “Inclusion matters: access and empowerment for people of all abilities”.
There are also three sub-themes this year:
Making cities inclusive and accessible for all
Improving disability data and statistics
Including persons with invisible disabilities in society and development.
The annual theme provides a frame for considering how people with disability are excluded from society by promoting the removal of all types of barriers; including those relating to the physical environment, information and communications technology (ICT), or attitudinal barriers.
This has been occurring since 1992 when the General Assembly proclaimed 3 December as the International Day of Disabled Persons.
How disability can be managed?
Disability can be prevented or managed by taking many steps. We should follow following method:
Provide healthy food to mother and child
Ensure proper diagnosis and proper treatment
Increase awareness among people
Increase literacy rate
Provide vocational training for making people independent
Ensure accessibility for person with disability e.g. ramp for easy access for wheelchair user.
Provide opportunities in every sector like job, education etc.