Event to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities
“Don’t dis my ability: sexuality of persons with disabilities”
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” We should not forget these strong words from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
When in 1992 the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the 3rd of December as International Day of Persons with Disabilities, one of its motivations was the importance of awareness-raising and of action-oriented measures aimed at the continued improvement of the situation of persons with disabilities and the equalization of opportunities.
With that spirit, drawing inspiration from the exhibition “Don’t dis my ability”, we are proud to present this event to mark 2020 International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
The event is composed of two parts:
- An E-tour through the exhibition
- A panel discussion.
The Don’t dis my ability exhibit is the joint initiative of JDC – Israel Unlimited and Freshpaint art and design fair, in preparation of the fair’s 2020 edition. The project brought together people with disabilities and students from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design’s Visual Communication Department into a shared creative process through a unique space of “Artivism” which combines art and activism aiming to smash stigmas about people with disabilities. In that context, the encounters were recorded through portrait photos.
The project’s partners have always believed in utilizing art as a tool for social change and in order to promote social agendas. The partnership with Freshpaint art fair was created in order to share the project’s messages with a wide audience and create a genuine impact. The slogan “Don’t dis my ability” originates from an Australian Government campaign celebrating the diversity and ability of persons with a disability.
In contemporary western world, people display their sexuality as part of their personal and social identity. However, when it concerns people with disability, there is a public restraint from such use of their sexuality.
We invite you all to visit this powerful exhibition, to be followed by a virtual panel discussion. We are looking forward to a conversation regarding sexuality of persons with disabilities, including topics such as different approaches, stigmas, challenges, coping mechanisms and more.
Our aim is to give voice to persons with disabilities in a very important issue that has never been discussed in Geneva. By featuring faces and personal stories, we aim at creating deeper understanding of their needs and reality.
The Virtual Panel Discussion will take place via Zoom.
Thursday, December 3 – 11:00AM (CET)
Captioning in English will be provided. Please RSVP
The panel will feature:
Opening remarks: Vered Raz Gatzek, Business Partnership & Program Manager, JDC-Israel Unlimited.
- Mónica Ferro, Director of UNFPA, Geneva Office
- Dani Garmise – Activist, public speaker and writer. Portrayed in the exhibition
- Yifat Gurion Co-Founder, Art Director & Head Curator, Freshpaint art & design fair, Tel Aviv
- A representative from an Organization of Persons with Disabilities
Partners: Permanent Missions of Israel, Australia, United Kingdom, Finland, New Zealand, Brazil and Mexico to the United Nations in Geneva; International Disability Alliance, UNFPA, and Israel Unlimited – JDC, Bezalel Academy of Art and Design and Freshpaint art & design fair.