{"id":8657,"date":"2025-05-12T17:44:18","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T15:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wfdb.eu\/?p=8657"},"modified":"2025-05-12T17:44:18","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T15:44:18","slug":"support-a-historic-initiative-recognizing-june-27th-as-the-international-day-of-deafblindness-at-the-united-nations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wfdb.eu\/2025\/05\/12\/support-a-historic-initiative-recognizing-june-27th-as-the-international-day-of-deafblindness-at-the-united-nations\/","title":{"rendered":"Apoya una Iniciativa Hist\u00f3rica: Reconocimiento del 27 de junio como el D\u00eda Internacional de la Sordoceguera en la ONU"},"content":{"rendered":"

Would you like to support a critical and historic initiative? We are calling on our community and allies to help establish June 27th as the International Day of Deafblindness<\/strong> on the United Nations calendar.<\/p>\n

Read below to learn how you can get involved!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Background & Rationale<\/h3>\n

As many of you know, several disability groups already have formally recognized UN days\u2014such as World Down Syndrome Day<\/em> and World Autism Awareness Day<\/em>. Yet, persons with deafblindness\u2014one of the most underrepresented and often overlooked groups\u2014still lack this recognition<\/strong>. This absence of visibility reinforces the systemic exclusion many experience when claiming their rights or accessing essential services.<\/p>\n

Deafblindness\u2014a unique disability arising from a combined loss of vision and hearing\u2014affects an estimated 0.2% to 2% of the global population<\/strong>. Individuals with deafblindness face significant barriers in communication, mobility, education, and access to information.<\/p>\n

Both congenital and acquired deafblindness must be equally recognized, as each requires highly specialized and tailored support. This includes access to Deafblind interpreters, individualized services, trained teaching assistants, and specialized professionals in education and care settings.<\/p>\n

Despite these clear needs, deafblindness is still poorly reflected in most national policies and legal frameworks, resulting in statistical invisibility, limited services, and exclusion from both mainstream and disability-specific initiatives.<\/p>\n

Campaign Overview<\/h3>\n

This initiative is being led by the Republic of Croatia and its Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York<\/strong>, in close collaboration with the World Federation of the Deafblind (WFDB)<\/strong>. It aims to raise global awareness, promote inclusion, and advocate for the rights of persons living with deafblindness.<\/p>\n

We hope the UN General Assembly will adopt the resolution before the 18th Conference of States Parties (CoSP18) to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)<\/strong> in June 2025.<\/p>\n

As part of this campaign, and in partnership with the Republic of Croatia<\/strong> and the International Disability Alliance (IDA)<\/strong>, we will host an official CoSP18 side event:<\/p>\n

Title:<\/strong> Recognizing June 27th as the International Day of Deafblindness
\nDate:<\/strong> Thursday, 12 June 2025
\nTime:<\/strong> 1:15 PM \u2013 2:30 PM
\nVenue:<\/strong> Conference Room CR4, United Nations Headquarters, New York<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We aim for this event to mark the resolution\u2019s adoption and serve as a platform to raise visibility and amplify the voices of the deafblind community. We strongly encourage all supporters to attend and promote this historic effort.<\/p>\n

Campaign Objectives<\/h3>\n

Establishing June 27th as the International Day of Deafblindness<\/strong> would:<\/p>\n