December 3: Necessary Celebration or Collective Alibi?

Editorial note

ForAllWe focuses on digital, inclusion, and technological accessibility. However, on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we consciously choose to deviate from our editorial plan. This is too important a moment to ignore the cultural and social context that gives meaning to our daily work. This article addresses the occasion in a direct, critical, and necessary way.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities arrives promptly every year. Between institutional posts and rhetoric, we ask ourselves: is it really necessary, or is it just a way to feel good for the other 364 days?

Every year it arrives on time: the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

And every year we find ourselves with the same blue and white institutional posts, a few circumstantial hashtags, a deluge of motivational phrases and then… everything goes back to exactly the way it was before.

CURIOSITY: THE BUREAUCRATIC ORIGIN

Many think this date is as "historical" as April 25th.

In fact, December 3 was arbitrarily chosen by the United Nations General Assembly in 1992 (Resolution 47/3).

Before that, there had been a whole "United Nations Decade for Persons with Disabilities" (1983-1992).

The day was born precisely because, at the end of that decade, it was realized that not enough had changed.

WHY IT IS RIGHT THAT IT EXISTS

1. Awareness does not arise on its own

Like it or not, without an official date, many people and institutions would never talk about architectural barriers, denied rights, and everyday discrimination.

A dedicated day creates a minimum of collective attention.

And without attention, rights remain a dead letter.

2. It forces institutions to expose themselves

Public administrations, schools, companies, and foundations are forced at least once a year to publicly declare that disability exists.

And this, for better or worse, gets things moving: projects, funds, initiatives that otherwise might not have gotten off the ground.

3. Give public space to the protagonists

We don't just talk about disabilities, but with those who experience them.

It's an opportunity to bring out voices that are too often ignored or normalized by everyday noise.

4. Build networks

Many community projects, strategic collaborations, and school initiatives are born in the wake of these days, taking advantage of the media hype.

WHY IT'S NOT ENOUGH (AND IT RISKS CAUSING DAMAGE)

1. The collective alibi

The biggest risk?

May people wake up the day after December 3rd with a clear conscience, as if clicking a "like" had solved the accessibility problem.

2. The "thematization" of reality

Just one day a year reinforces the toxic idea that disability should be brought up "thematically," like Christmas or Halloween, rather than being firmly integrated into conversations about citizenship, school, work, the economy, and technology.

3. Masked Pietism

Badly executed campaigns exist: those that exploit disability to create "cuteness" (so-called "Inspiration Porn") or to sell a clean image of the organization that commissioned them. This does more harm than good, reducing people to communication tools rather than subjects with rights.

4. Limited representation

We almost always talk about the same disabilities, the same "heroic" stories.

The risk is turning an entire diverse community into a glossy brochure photo, ignoring invisible or "inconvenient" disabilities.

CURIOSITY: THE CONCEPT YOU SHOULD KNOW: "INSPIRATION PORN"

The term was coined by Australian activist Stella Young.

It points to the media's habit of portraying people with disabilities as "heroes" just because they live their daily lives.

The goal of these narratives is not to emancipate those with disabilities, but to make able-bodied people feel better ("If he can do it, I have no excuses").

It's the exact opposite of equality: it's emotional objectification.

CONCLUSION:

• Is the day useful?

Yes.

• Is that enough on its own?

Not even in your dreams.

Abolishing it would be a favor to the distracted, to those who can't wait to not even think about it that day. But keeping it without changing our attitude is a pointless exercise in style.

The point isn't the Day. The point is what we do from December 4th to December 2nd of the following year. If the date serves to remind us of a commitment, it makes sense.

If it's a replacement, it's a scam.