Know your rights

Friday 03 December 2010

Today is International Day of Disabled People and Carers' Rights Day

If there is one day when the rights of disabled people and their carers are recognised it should be 3 December 2010.

The United Nations' International Day of Disabled People is held annually on 3 December. It aims to promote a better understanding of disability issues and further the rights and integration of people with a disability in politics, society, economics and culture. The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled People was established by the International Year for Disabled Persons in 1981.

Carers' Rights Day is organised each year by Carers UK, in association with over a thousand local groups. Through events across the country, it aims to increase the take up of benefits for carers, which often go unclaimed, and make sure that carers – including the two million people who become carers for the first time every year – know their rights. Plus, it tries to guide carers towards practical support and raise awareness of the needs of carers.

To mark the International Day of Disabled People, Special Olympics Great Britain has launched the Wear the Laces fundraising and awareness campaign. It uses bright red laces as a visual reminder of how sport can transform the lives of the learning disabled and their families.

The campaign has been embraced worldwide by people from Mick Hucknall of Simply Red to Prime Minister David Cameron. The charity has already sold over 10,000 laces and hopes to sell more during the Christmas season.

Find out more about International Day of Disabled People

Find out more about Carers' Rights Day

Read more about the Wear the Laces campaign or buy some bright red Special Olympics shoe laces