Today, 3 December 2021, is the International Day of People with Disabilities.  This is a day marked by events in Ireland and across the world where we celebrate the lives and contribution to society of people with disabilities and highlight the special challenges which we face.

The focus this year is on the need to redouble our efforts to promote leadership and participation of people with disabilities in an inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-COVID-19 world.  Since March 2020, every person has been affected by drastic political, social and economic change as a result of domestic and international responses to COVID-19.  Changes arising from the pandemic have brought new challenges, many affecting the daily life of people with disabilities.  In addition, as society has focused on its response to COVID-19, work on societal, economic and attitudinal challenges already facing disabled people before the pandemic has often been sidelined. 

BADIG is a proud supporter of the International Day of People with Disabilities.  Each year, we usually host a Tea & Coffee Afternoon in the Ballymun Civic Centre, where we enjoy meeting local people to celebrate the day, talk about our work and about the challenges facing disabled people.  Unfortunately, the restrictions on meetings resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic prevented us from holding this event in 2020 and we are very sad to advise that we are unable again to hold the event this year.

We hope to be able to meet you all again in public early in 2022.  Until then, we would be very happy to see you at our online (Zoom) Annual General Meeting on 7 December at 3:00pm, or at one of our online monthly meetings.  Please email secretary@badig.ie for further information.

As always, we would like to express our sincere gratitude for the support of the local community over the past year.  As we move into 2022, we look forward to continuing to work with you and on your behalf to ensure that the post-COVID-19 world we build – including our local world here in Ballymun – will be better for everyone!