WeThe15 Movement Aims To Promote More Visibility For People With Disabilities

A new global, human rights movement aimed at helping to support the 1.2 billion people with disabilities is due to launch soon. The WeThe15 movement is a decade long campaign which will transform the lives of disabled people all round the world. The campaign is being led by multiple global organisations around the world including the International Paralympic Committee, International Disability Alliance, UN Human Rights, UNESCO, UNAOC amongst others. This means, that for the first time ever, different sports events, tournaments and organisations will join forces to work together and collaborate. This will include events such as the Special Olympics and Invictus Games joining forces with the IPC and International Committee of Sports For The Deaf working together to highlight the difficulties that disabled people face around the world.

The campaign aspires to be the biggest ever human rights movement which will illustrate the needs of all disabled people round the world. This means that no one will be isolated because they have a disability and will be given a sense of equality as their needs will be being portrayed to a global audience. This will mean that there will be no discrimination or prejudice in the coverage and everyone will get the information they need as to how to manage and adapt in society.

Launched ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, WeThe15 aims to end discrimination towards persons with disabilities and act as a global movement publicly campaigning for disability visibility, accessibility, and inclusion.

Spearheaded by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and International Disability Alliance (IDA), WeThe15 brings together the biggest coalition ever of international organisations from the worlds of sport, human rights, policy, business, arts, and entertainment. Together they will work with governments, businesses, and the public over the next decade to initiate change for the world's largest marginalised group who make up 15% of the global population.

The campaign will use the unique power of sport to draw in a massive global audience to ensure that everyone round the world will be aware of the need to create positive change. This will help emphacise the need for more equality in society and help ensure that disabled people can continue with their normal, everyday lives. There will be no obstacles which will be put in their way which they will have to overcome so this will help emphacise the aspect of equality.

Joining the sport organisations in this decade of action are International Disability Alliance, UN Human Rights, UNESCO, the UN SDG Action Campaign, the European Commission, The Valuable 500, Global Citizen, Global Disability Innovation Hub, the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), International Disability and Development Consortium, C-Talent, Global Goals Advisory, ATscale – the Global Partnership for Assistive Technology, Zero Project, and the Global Alliance of Assistive Technology Organisations (GAATO).

The campaign aims to change attitudes and create opportunities for people with disabilities by:

· Putting persons with disabilities at the heart of the diversity and inclusion agenda.

· Implementing a range of activities targeting governments, businesses, and the public to drive social inclusion for persons with disabilities.

· Breaking down societal and systemic barriers that are preventing persons with disabilities from fulfilling their potential and being active members of society .

· Ensuring greater awareness, visibility, and representation of persons with disabilities.

· Promoting the role of assistive technology as a vehicle to driving social inclusion.

IPC President Andrew Parsons said: "WeThe15 aspires to be the biggest ever human rights movement for persons with disabilities and aims to put disability right at the heart of the inclusion agenda, alongside ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation.

"By uniting several leading international organisations and the world's 1.2 billion persons with disabilities behind one common movement, we will make a tangible and well overdue difference for the planet's largest marginalised group.

"Sport, and events such as the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, are hugely powerful vehicles to engage global audiences.  By partnering with Special Olympics, Invictus Games, and Deaflympics, there will be at least one major international sport event for persons with disabilities to showcase WeThe15 each year between now and 2030. These sports events add great value to the campaign and underline the hugely positive impact sport can have on society. I strongly believe WeThe15 could be a real game-changer for persons with disabilities."

If you'd like more information on the WeThe15 campaign, please visit https://www.wethe15.org