A positive time you felt truly included - IDDP 2025
Every year, December 3rd marks 'International Day of People with Disability' (IDPwD), or as we here at Every Body Moves prefer to term it (following community feedback and social model of disability language) - International Day of Disabled People.
We can set side the acronym debate of whether it's IDDP / IDPwD / IDIDIDIPDDDPDPD. This United Nations (UN) day is observed internationally, aiming to promote community awareness, understanding and acceptance of disabled people.
We asked our Lived experience Advisory Board to share experiences of when they truly felt included.
This being our take on the 2025 International Day of Disabled People theme "Fostering disability-inclusive societies for advancing social progress".
Stacey Denyer:
"As an ambulant disabled person who deals with fatigue, it was my teammates realising that I was saying no to after work social meet ups because I was too tired - and not because I didn't want to. When I explained about my fatigue, the team began to offer starting work early, to finish work early to include me for regular after work food and drinks."
Mahomed Khatri:
At college, I studied Economics but struggled with graphs and visual elements as a blind student. My teacher brought in tactile materials for the whole class, so everyone learned the concepts in the same accessible way.
I wasn’t singled out or excluded—accessibility became the norm, not an afterthought.
And this led me to feel confident enough to proceed doing that subject at university too.
Alice Evans
The time I feel truly included is at CrossFit: the coaches took time to truly find what worked for me and my body, finding ways to adapt sessions and find creative alternatives without singling me out from the group.
It’s a time I’ve had no one question why my body is moving differently or why my workout isn’t the same as the others, it’s simply a time I can turn up, know I’ve been thought of in advance, and just be a number in a crowd
Dr Kush Kanodia
"Fostering disability-inclusive societies is essential for advancing social progress. One moment when I truly felt included was when I was selected as the final torchbearer for the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
It was the first time I felt genuinely seen and valued for my work in disability rights. That moment of recognition didn’t just inspire me, it ignited a sense of belonging and possibility.
It showed me what inclusion feels like when it is real, visible, and meaningful.
Carrying the torch gave me the confidence and platform to go on and transform some of the UK’s largest and most influential systems, from the Premier League to NHS England and Greater London government. It remains a reminder of how powerful true inclusion can be, and why we must keep creating true inclusion and belonging for us all."
Ellie Tissingh
"I’ve loved taking part in accessible events organised by the incredible Sarah, Sandra and the team at the Forest of Bowland National Landscape. They work really hard to provide as many opportunities as they can to give people with disabilities equal access to enjoy the benefits of being out in nature. Using their all-terrain wheelchairs has been so much fun and has given me the freedom to take part in the things that interest me.
It’s nice to be right where the action is rather than trailing behind or staying at home.
Sadly, apart from the above, I’ve rarely felt that my disability and the way it affects my life has been understood or included in society. Perhaps that is the nature of hidden disabilities? It fuels my motivation to advocate for increased awareness and accommodation of others who experience similar energy limiting conditions, chronic pain, mental health challenges, and neurodivergence."