Observing International Day of Persons with Disabilities
By DEI Team
Date
Invisibility Doesn’t Mean Nonexistence
At the MPA, we’re committed to making access a standard, not an exception. Not just for compliance, but because music and life are better when everyone is included.
Observed annually on 3 December, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPWD) is a global call to action: to build more inclusive, accessible, and equitable societies for the 1.3 billion disabled people around the world.
The United Nations theme for 2025 is:
“Rebuilding for All: Disability-Inclusive Recovery, Resilience, and Rights.”
At the MPA, we recognise that disability inclusion isn’t a one-day campaign; it’s an ongoing commitment to dismantling systemic barriers, amplifying disabled voices, and embedding access into every level of the music industry.
Why 3 December Matters
Disability Is Global, But Equity Isn’t
Over 16 million people in the UK identify as disabled, yet many still face social exclusion, ableism, economic inequality, and digital inaccessibility, particularly in post-pandemic systems.
Invisibility Doesn’t Mean Nonexistence
Disability includes visible, invisible, physical, sensory, learning, and neurodivergent conditions. Just because you can’t see a disability doesn’t mean it doesn’t impact someone’s daily life, access to services, or sense of safety.
Recovery Must Be Inclusive
Whether it’s rebuilding systems after a crisis, reimagining how we work, or reshaping the creative industries, disabled people must be included not as an afterthought but from the outset.
How to Support Disabled People This December (and Always)
Listen to Disabled Voices
Seek out the stories, art, writing and leadership of disabled people. Centre lived experience, not just theory.
Challenge Everyday Ableism
This includes interrupting jokes, rethinking “normal,” addressing workplace inaccessibility, and calling out systemic exclusion without waiting for disabled people to do it alone.
Design with Access in Mind
True inclusion means ensuring access to buildings, events, tech, communications, and opportunities. Not after something is built while it’s being built.
Advocate for Structural Change
Don’t just make adjustments for individuals; make the system more equitable for all. That’s what real allyship looks like.
In the Workplace: Disability Inclusion Isn’t a Favour
Workplaces are a crucial site of change. Disabled people deserve meaningful employment, career progression, and psychological safety, not just “accommodation.”
Here’s what inclusion can and should look like:
Accessible Environments
Think beyond wheelchair ramps: consider lighting, sensory spaces, quiet areas, assistive tech, digital formats, and clear signage.
Proactive Policies
Embed disability equity into hiring, retention, and leadership pathways. Ensure flexible working is a right, not a reward.
Staff Networks and Representation
Support employee-led groups like our AccessAbility Network, and ensure disabled colleagues are included in decision-making not just consulted post-launch.
Mandatory Education
Deliver anti-ableism and disability inclusion training that goes beyond awareness into action, accountability, and allyship.
Disabled Talent in the Music Industry
From Ludwig van Beethoven to Gaelynn Lea, disabled artists have always shaped music history. Yet access, visibility, and equity in the industry remain inconsistent at best and exclusionary at worst.
Creativity Isn’t Contained by Disability
Many disabled artists say their disability shapes their perspective, innovation, and expression, not as a limitation, but as a source of depth and difference.
Barriers Are Still Commonplace
Venues without step-free access. Producers who misgender or misrepresent. Festivals without quiet spaces, captioning or BSL interpretation. These are not minor oversights; they are structural obstacles to participation.
Representation Must Be Authentic
We must amplify disabled musicians, producers, engineers and execs as they are not filtered through inspiration tropes or pity narratives.
IDPWD is more than a calendar date; it’s a mirror. It asks us to look at the world we’re building and ask: who is still being left out? At the MPA, we’re committed to making access a standard, not an exception. Not just for compliance, but because music and life are better when everyone is included.
Resources
https://www.un.org/en/observances/day-of-persons-with-disabilities
https://www.who.int/campaigns/international-day-of-persons-with-disabilities
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations%27_International_Day_of_Persons_with_Disabilities
For more information or to join our AccessAbility Employee, please contact:
Helen Choudhury
Head of DEI, CSR and Wellbeing
[email protected]
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