December 3rd, 2024 - International Day of Persons with Disabilities
December 3rd marks the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), a day dedicated to promoting the rights of persons with disabilities globally. Established by the UN in 1992, this day raises awareness, promotes dignity, and emphasizes the importance of full participation in society. McGill is proud to join this global initiative, reaffirming our commitment to creating an accessible, inclusive campus that empowers all community members to thrive.
Embracing Disability Pride
Our theme this year—Disability Pride—celebrates the strength, resilience, and diversity within the disability community here at McGill and beyond. Disability Pride affirms that disability is an essential part of identity, one that deserves recognition and respect. It moves us away from viewing disability solely as a challenge and toward embracing it as a source of identity and pride. Disability Pride helps us foster a campus environment that values difference, challenges stigma, and supports each member of our university in achieving their fullest potential.
On December 3rd, we invite the McGill community to come together, not only to honor the achievements of persons with disabilities but to deepen our commitment to removing barriers, celebrating diversity, and building a truly inclusive university.
Keynote Address "Disability Equality as an Ethical Project of Inclusion" with Professor Laverne Jacobs
Tuesday, December 3rd (In-person)
Catered Reception 5:00 - 6:00 pm
Keynote Address 6:00 - 8:00 pm
PRICE: Free
LOCATION: The Ballroom-University Centre, 3rd Floor, Room 301, 3480 McTavish Street
The venue is physically accessible and ASL Interpretation and Live Captioning will be provided. Participants are also invited to complete the registration form to signal any additional accessibility needs. Note too that the keynote will be in English.
Disability pride rightfully evokes notions of empowerment, recognition and inclusion among persons with disabilities and their allies. Yet, at this moment, members of the disability community face significant barriers to achieving equality, including accessibility and access to justice. Anchored in a deep and rich history of legal decisions and legislative developments, efforts to achieve disability equality in Canada have had varying levels of success. In her keynote address, Professor Laverne Jacobs re-orients the discussion, proposing that many governmental efforts to achieve equality would benefit from centering disability equality not simply as a legal right but also as an ethical project of inclusion.
Laverne Jacobs
Dr. Laverne Jacobs (she/her/elle) is Full Professor of Law at the University of Windsor in Canada. She is Canada’s first-ever member of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Professor Jacobs’ research and scholarship focus on law and disability rights, human rights law, equality law, and administrative law and justice. She is a graduate of McGill University where she completed her BA (Hons) in French literature, LLB. and BCL. She earned her PhD at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University. She self-identifies as a Black woman with physical disabilities.
Professor Jacobs has held public appointments as a tribunal member for the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and as a member of Ontario’s Accessibility Standards Advisory Council. She has been consulted by disability rights NGOs and has served on the Board of Directors of several organizations. She has testified, on invitation, as an expert before the Senate of Canada on disability issues. Dr. Jacobs has received several recognitions for her scholarship and leadership on disability equality, including the Touchstone Award from the Canadian Bar Association.
"Empowering Voices of Disability Pride through Creative Writing" Workshop with Paul Tshuma
Tuesday, December 3rd (Please note this activity will be online)
12:00 - 2:00 pm
** Closed Space For Participants Who Self-Identify as Persons with Disabilities **
PRICE: Free
LOCATION: Zoom (a link will be provided to participants)
Note too that the creative writing workshop will be in English.
In this interactive workshop, Paul Tshuma, a published author and McGill alumnus living with disabilities, will guide participants in exploring how writing can amplify our voices and perspectives. He'll open with a discussion on the meaning of Disability Pride and how it connects with nurturing a creative writing practice. Participants will be invited to reflect on life through their unique perspectives and to write specifically about their experiences as individuals living with disabilities. For those who wish, there will be an opportunity to share their work with fellow participants. Paul will close the workshop by sharing insights from his own creative projects. Together, we'll explore how writing can be a powerful form of self-expression and self-discovery.
Paul Tshuma
Bhekimpilo "Paul" Tshuma was born in Zimbabwe. He has never walked due to a physical disability from birth called muscular dystrophy; he has limited mobility in his legs and feet. He is the third child in a family of five, with a brother who has an identical disability. Paul is an alumnus of McGill and a graduate of Concordia University. He studied computer software design at McGill and music at Concordia. Paul is a published poet, musician, orchestra conductor, accessibility consultant, and a life-changing speaker. He is currently working on an autobiography that will be published in the near future.