Today, on International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Disability Action celebrates the strength, leadership and diversity of disabled people across Northern Ireland. As an organisation for and by disabled people, we champion disabled people’s leadership at every level of society, from policymaking to community action.

More than one quarter of people in Northern Ireland are disabled. We are leaders, parents, workers, creatives, innovators and citizens. Yet disabled people continue to face unacceptable barriers in housing, healthcare, transport, education, employment, safety and independent living. These inequalities are not inevitable. They arise from systemic inaccessibility, underinvestment and a continued failure to uphold disabled people’s rights.

This year’s theme, “Building a Sustainable and Inclusive Future for All”, reflects our core purpose. Achieving this vision requires government and public bodies to embed disabled people’s leadership in planning, strategy and service design. It also requires full implementation of the UNCRPD and investment in supports that enable disabled people to live with dignity, choice and freedom.

As an organisation for and by disabled people, Disability Action continues to lead this work by:

• Delivering advocacy, mobility, information, transport, employment and independent living services across all 11 council areas 
• Challenging discrimination and strengthening accountability across statutory and community sectors 
• Ensuring that disabled people drive rights-based reform with government, public agencies and partners 
• Producing research and policy analysis that highlights disabled people’s leadership 
• Ensuring disabled people set the strategic direction for change

On this International Day for Persons with Disabilities, our message is clear.

Disabled people deserve equality, freedom and full participation. Not as an aspiration, but as a guarantee.

We call on the Northern Ireland Executive, Assembly, funders and partners to work with us to build a Northern Ireland where disabled people’s leadership shapes the systems and decisions that affect our lives.

Nothing about us, without us.