“One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.”
(John F. Kennedy)
On 3 December, the world marks International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPwD) , a day to celebrate the leadership, strength, and contributions of people with disability, and to call for a more inclusive future.
The 2025 theme, “Fostering disability inclusive societies for advancing social progress,” reminds us that real progress only happens when people with disability are included in every part of community life; social, economic, cultural, and political.
With a core purpose of Making Lives Better, Nurse Next Door Home Care Services is proud to support our clients to live with choice, independence, and dignity at home and in their communities.
What does a disability inclusive society look like?
A disability inclusive society is one where people with disability:
- Have equal access to education, employment, housing, health, and community spaces
- Are involved in decisions that affect them, from service design to public policy
- Can participate fully in sport, culture, social activities, and civic life
- Are recognised for their strengths, skills, and identities, not defined by their disability
Inclusion is not about “fitting people in” to systems that already exist. It’s about redesigning those systems, our services, attitudes, and environments, so they work for everyone.
From awareness to action
Awareness days are important, but inclusion is more than wearing a ribbon or making a social media post. A disability inclusive society requires:
- Respectful attitudes – seeing disability as a natural part of human diversity.
- Accessible environments – ramps, clear signage, inclusive communication, flexible work and study options
- Real choice and control – people with disability leading their own plans, goals, and supports
At Nurse Next Door, we see this daily in the homes and communities where we provide care. The most meaningful change often happens in the small, consistent actions that support a person to live the life they choose.
How Nurse Next Door supports disability inclusion in everyday care
Our role is to walk alongside people with disabilities and their families. Here’s how we bring the 2025 theme to life:
1. Person-directed support
Every person we support is unique. We begin with a conversation: “What did you used to love doing that you no longer do?” From there, we build care around the person’s own goals, which might include:
- Getting ready for and attending work, study, or volunteer roles
- Joining a local club, social group, or cultural activity
- Maintaining friendships, hobbies, and community connections
- Developing skills to increase independence at home
We’re not just there for tasks, we’re there for confidence, connection, and choice.
2. Breaking down barriers to participation
Disability inclusive societies don’t just exist in policy documents, they’re built in everyday moments. Our team helps to remove practical barriers such as:
- Transport – supporting people to safely get to appointments, events, and activities
- Communication – using plain language, visual supports, interpreters, or assistive technology, depending on the person’s needs
- Environment – helping to arrange small changes at home that make daily life safer and more accessible
By solving these “small” challenges, people are more able to take up opportunities in work, education, and community life.
3. Listening first
People with disabilities are experts in their own lives. Our job is to listen. That means:
- Asking how someone wants to be supported, not assuming
- Checking in regularly: “Is this still working for you?”
- Maintaining friendships, hobbies, and community connections
When services are truly co-designed with the person, inclusion stops being a buzzword and becomes a lived experience.
The power of language and attitudes
How we speak about disability shapes how we act. Some simple ways we can all support inclusion:
- Asking how someone wants to be supported, not assuming
- Focus on strengths and interests, not just needs
- Avoid phrases that imply pity or limitation
- Ask, “What support will help you do this?” instead of, “Can you do this?”
Respectful language is one way of recognising that people with disability have the same rights, dreams, and autonomy as anyone else.
How you can support disability inclusion this IDPwD
You don’t have to work in health or disability services to make a difference. You can:
- Listen and learn – Seek out voices of people with disability; online, in your workplace, and in your local community.
- Notice inclusion and exclusion – Are events, workplaces, schools, and services accessible? Whose voices are missing from the conversation?
- Challenge stereotypes – If you hear limiting or negative assumptions about disability, gently offer another perspective.
- Stay connected – Reach out to people in your life who may be excluded or isolated due to disability or barriers in the community. A message, visit, or invite can mean a lot.
Nurse Next Door’s ongoing commitment
International Day of Persons with Disabilities is one important day but inclusion must happen every day. At Nurse Next Door, we are committed to:
- Providing respectful, person-centred support for people with disabilities in their own homes and communities
- Working with families and support networks as partners, not just observerss
- Advocating for systems and services that centre the rights, choices, and voices of people with disability
A truly disability inclusive society is fairer and stronger for everyone. By listening, learning, and acting together, we can help advance social progress, one home, one neighbourhood, and one community at a time.
At Nurse Next Door, we are passionate about Making Lives Better.
If your are looking at Caregiving as a Career™ click here to learn more and see what opporunitites are available in your local area.
If you require care in your own home, on your own terms, contact us 24/7 on 1300 600 247 to discuss how Nurse Next Door can help you keep doing what you love.