CAFE is proud to celebrate International Day of Disabled People 2022 alongside our like-minded friends, partners and stakeholders.

Every year on 3 December, the world is invited to observe International Day of Disabled People - a day to promote wider understanding of issues around access and inclusion and mobilise support for the rights and independence of disabled people across the globe.

Disabled people are the largest minority group in the world today. Over 15% of the global population is disabled - that is over 1.2 billion people, or 1,200,000,000. That is enough to fill Wembley Stadium over 13,000 times!

The theme for this year's celebration is Transformative solutions for inclusive development. This covers three separate topics:

• Innovation for disability inclusive development in employment
• Innovation for disability inclusive development in reducing inequality
• Innovation for disability inclusive development: sport as an exemplar case

Since our inception in 2009, CAFE has been committed to using the unique power of sport as a catalyst for wider societal change. We recognise that sport, and in particular football, can bridge the divide and unite people from all parts of the world. Our vision is a world where disabled people are a key part of the global sporting landscape, as fans, employees, volunteers and leaders, so that everyone has equal opportunities to contribute in an accessible, inclusive and welcoming environment.

There is still much work to be done, but the sports industry has taken many great strides towards improving accessibility and recognising the power and value of embracing inclusion.

Initiatives such as the Football for All Leadership Programme, led by Integrated Dreams, is helping to support disabled people to develop the skills required to find employment within football and helping the clubs, leagues and national associations within the game to be better prepared for disabled employees. It is crucial that these stakeholders consider physical access to their workplaces, services that they can put in place to support disabled employees, and their recruitment policies to give disabled people a fair opportunity of finding employment within football.

Disability-inclusive innovation is also key to ensuring a more welcoming and inclusive future for all. Technology continues to play a significant role in all of our everyday lives, and it is critical that digital accessibility remains a key consideration for developers so that disabled people are not left behind.

We have recently witnessed such innovation first-hand, with audio-descriptive commentary (ADC) available at every match during this year's FIFA World Cup via the FIFA Interpreting app, in both English and Arabic. This development means that listeners, for the first time ever, can tune into live ADC from anywhere in the world. We also continue to see new matchday services implemented at stadiums designed to support disabled fans in enjoying an inclusive matchday experience.

Find out more about International Day of Disabled People 2022.

We wish all of our friends, partners and stakeholders, and disabled people across the world, a very happy International Day of Disabled People 2022!

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To coincide with International Day of Disabled People 2022, CAFE is pleased to announce the opening of the CAFE Week of Action 2023 small grants application window.

To assist disabled supporters and disabled supporters’ associations (DSAs) in taking part in the campaign, CAFE introduced the CAFE Week of Action small grants programme.

This season's CAFE Week of Action - the eleventh annual global celebration of access and inclusion within sport - will take place between 11-19 March 2023.

The CAFE Week of Action small grants programme offers funding to disabled supporters and DSAs to go towards the costs of their planned activities. Grants of up to €250 are available, subject to a successful application to CAFE.

Find out more about the CAFE Week of Action small grants programme and apply today!

Published 3/12/2022