Disability on the Record exhibition opens ahead of the UN’s International Day for Persons with Disabilities

The Department for Communities officially opened its two-week exhibition ‘Disability on the Record’ to celebrate the United Nations International Day for persons with Disabilities.

The UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities has been celebrated each year since 1992 on 3 December and aims to promote the rights and well-being of all disabled people.

Officially opening the exhibition, Head of Civil Service, Jayne Brady, said:

“I am delighted to have been part of the launch event for the Department of Communities’ ‘Disability on the Record exhibition’ to mark The United Nations ‘International Day of Persons with Disabilities’.

“The Civil Service is committed to being a diverse employer, working both across the organisation and with the disability sector to increase the representation of persons with disabilities and ensuring that we have a truly inclusive workplace culture for our colleagues with disabilities.”

Beverley Wall, Deputy Secretary of Strategic Policy and Professional Services Group at the Department for Communities said:

“Deaf and disabled people make an important contribution to our society. Our Department is committed to promoting social inclusion and is leading on the development of the Executive’s Disability Strategy.

“We are continuing our work to ensure the Strategy is based on lived experience and can make a positive impact on the lives of Deaf and disabled people and empower them to know and exercise their rights.”

Michaela Hollywood, the respected disability rights advocate, delivered a keynote speech outlining her experiences of living with disability and the positive change in perceptions of disability that she has experienced in her lifetime.

The exhibition was curated by the Department’s Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) and Disability Policy Branch and explores the issues that have directly impacted upon the lives of Deaf and disabled people through the years. PRONI archives and additional source material are utilised to bring the lived experiences of people from those times to life.

The exhibition will run from 28 November at PRONI and will be open to the public from 9.00am to 4.45pm Monday to Friday until the 9 December 2022. Access is free and booking is not required.

Notes to editors: 

1. Photo caption: Pictured at the launch of the ‘Disability on the Record’ exhibition are Beverley Wall, Deputy Secretary of Strategic Policy and Professional Services Group at the Department for Communities, Michaela Hollywood who delivered the keynote speech and Head of Civil Service Jayne Brady.
2. The theme identified by the United Nations for 2022 is “Transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable world”.
3. More information on the exhibition can be obtained from Disability Polocy Branch  or  PRONI .
4. PRONI is located at 2 Titanic Boulevard ,Titanic Quarter, Belfast, BT3 9HQ. Information on how to get there is available at on the PRONI website 
5. The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.
6. Media enquiries to DFC Press Office via email  
7. Follow the Department on Twitter @CommunitiesNI

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