International Day of Persons with Disabilities 

Dignity and justice for all of us is the theme of this year's International Day of Persons with Disabilities which is today, 3 December. This year also marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Since its inception, the United Nations has recognized that the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family are the foundations of freedom, justice and peace in the world. These principles, along with equality and non-discrimination, have guided the work of the United Nations for the past 60 years and are enshrined in various instruments, including the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Convention is the newest addition to the international human rights framework, is complementary to and reaffirms that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interrelated, interdependent and mutually reinforcing.

MDAC is working to ensure that the Convention is ratified and implemented. The organisation advances rights of children and adults with psycho-social (mental health) disabilities and intellectual disabilities, working on areas such as the right to legal capacity and support for those who need assistance in exercising their legal capacity, the right to live in the community, the right to be free from torture and other ill-treatment, and the right to education.

On this day MDAC asks you to take one step to help protect the rights of persons with disabilities. You can find out more at the UN's website.