On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, December 4th, the United Nations headquarters in New York was the scene of a powerful call to transform social perception of disability. The call was to move away from the narrative of victimhood and the search for 'inspiration' towards inclusion and empowerment. The UN Global Advocate for persons with disabilities in conflict and peacebuilding, Giles Duley, concluded his mandate with a scathing critique of the system and the prevailing mindset. Duley, who lost three limbs in Afghanistan, lamented that after three years, he felt he had failed, and even more so, that 'the system has failed' to make the voices of persons with disabilities heard. The Failure of the 'Inspiration Model' The activist emphasized that the root of the problem lies in a mindset that often sees persons with disabilities as a burden, or ironically, as an idealized source of inspiration. 'My job is not to inspire others. I am not here to defend people. My job is to share stories, because the reality on the ground for persons with disabilities has not changed,' stated Duley. He pointed out that the stories of Paralympic athletes or extraordinary achievements do not represent the reality for the majority. According to Duley, the correct attitude is to stop seeing these people as victims or a source of inspiration, and instead: 'We must simply consider persons with disabilities as people whose society has imposed barriers on them [...] and we must tear down those barriers and allow them to empower themselves'. The Secretary-General calls for full inclusion In line with Duley, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, issued a message urging real social inclusion, recognizing the transformative role of this group. 'Persons with disabilities are transforming societies: leading innovation, influencing policy, and mobilizing for justice,' declared Guterres, though he lamented that 'they are still too often denied a seat at the decision-making table', as learned from the Argentine News Agency. The head of the UN highlighted the persistence of systemic barriers—such as discrimination, poverty, and inaccessibility to services—that limit the participation of more than one billion persons with disabilities worldwide. Guterres concluded with a call to action: 'There can be no sustainable development without the inclusion of persons with disabilities'.
