My Reflections on the International Day of People With Disabilities

Yesterday was the “International Day of People With Disabilities”, and I am sharing some brief reflections.

I was asked, “what are we doing about the “International Day of People With Disabilities” and I wasn’t sure.  I knew the day was coming, but, to be honest, I am not a big fan of “days”.  For example, R U OK Day draws attention to health and wellbeing, but we should focus on that every day of the year.

Shortly after I arrived in Australia, I watched a news bulletin where a large corporate was bragging (through the media) about a new employee.  This new employee’s name was Jimmy (not his real name), and he delivered the mail.  It was clear that Jimmy had Downs Syndrome, but “everybody loved Jimmy”.  The TV news item showed lots of attractive people smiling as Jimmy delivered the mail.  The news item was patronising, self-serving, self-promoting nonsense by a corporate trying to improve their image by exploiting Jimmy (their only employee in hundreds living with a disability) and I was disgusted.

I am very proud that Vision Australia employs one hundred people who are blind or have low vision.  We are without doubt the largest employer of people who are blind or have low vision in Australia.  What I am most proud of that every single employee who is blind or has low vision is in their job based on merit and every single one of my colleagues does their job to the best of their ability in a way comparable to their sighted peers.

When we do media at Vision Australia, we often have Karen Knight or Chris Edwards in front of the camera or on the radio.  Chris and Karen do a great job, representing our organisation and also demonstrating the capability of people who are blind or have low vision.  Deliberately we are encouraging other employers to follow the example we have set in having a genuinely inclusive team.

The level of unemployment in the blindness and low vision community remains a global disgrace.  In Australia, only 50% of people who are blind or have low vision wanting to work, have a job.  That is why we are working very hard, right throughout our organisation, supporting people who are blind or have low vision get jobs and build their careers.

My most important reflection is that every day in Vision Australia is a celebration of People With Disabilities.  Every day we do our job supporting people who are blind or have low vision.  Every day our colleagues who happen to be blind or have low vision make their contribution to the success of Vision Australia.  And for the most part, we don’t see them as labelled blind or low vision, we see them as respected colleagues.  I am very proud to lead an organisation that embodies a culture of inclusion, a culture where a disability is just a normal part of the diversity of life.