Uni staff to help assess disability rights campaign
MOVEMENT TO CHAMPION 1.2BN PEOPLE GLOBALLY
ACADEMICS are to assess the impact of a global human rights movement launched to represent persons with disabilities.
WeThe15 aspires to be the biggest-ever human rights movement to represent the world’s 1.2 billion people with disabilities.
Launched ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, WeThe15 aims to end discrimination and to campaign for disability visibility, inclusion, and accessibility.
Staff at Loughborough University’s London campus have been contracted to provide an analysis of the effectiveness of the initial campaign – in the UK, Peru, Malawi and Finland.
In a sign of solidarity with the movement, the Loughborough Campus – along with many world landmarks – will be lit up purple for the duration of the Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
Dr Andrea Geurin, acting institute director for the Institute for Sport Business, Loughborough University London, said: “Over the past year the pandemic has produced a seismic shift towards inclusion – mainly driven by social media.
“The WeThe15 campaign is a real opportunity to make the world a better and more inclusive place for everyone.
“Our research will help to improve the effectiveness of the campaign. It is amazing to play our part in such a movement.”
WeThe15 backers, including the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and International Disability Alliance will work with governments, businesses, and the public over the next decade to initiate change for the world’s largest marginalised group, who make up 15 per cent of the global population.
IPC president Andrew Parsons said: “WeThe15 is the biggest ever human rights movement for people with disabilities and aims to put disability right at the heart of the inclusion agenda, alongside ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation.
“By uniting several leading international organisations and the world’s 1.2 billion people with disabilities behind one common movement, we will make a tangible and well overdue difference for the planet’s largest marginalised group.
“Sport, and events such as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, are hugely powerful vehicles to engage global audiences.
“By partnering with Special Olympics, Invictus Games and Deaflympics, there will be at least one major international sport event for persons with disabilities to showcase WeThe15 each year between now and 2030.
“This could be a real gamechanger for 1.2 billion people and underlines the hugely positive impact sport can have on society.”