Over 520 people came to the Leeds International Day of Disabled People 2024 marketplace event.
The celebration was held on Tuesday 3 December at Leeds City Museum.
People with all disabilities, their families and carers were all welcomed. 26 organisations were represented at colourful and engaging stalls. The Quiet Sensory Room, run by Leeds Autism Service’s was used by 40 people, and around 70 people took part in the Art Zone run by Pyramid of Arts, who said:
“International Day of Disabled People is a really lively event and it is wonderful to see people with learning disabilities, carers, and people working in the sector coming together to share good practice and have fun! I always meet new people when attending and this has led to exciting new collaborations and projects. The event is well organised and feels really inclusive and friendly.” Nickie Lyons
- People enjoyed “making new connections” and the “lovely atmosphere”.
- People praised the running of the event and performances saying it was “well put together” and “The performances were brilliant!”
- People liked that “there were so many organisations in one place”, that is was “intersection” with a “great variety of people”.
Please share your feedback of the day and ideas for next year
If you went to the event we want to hear from you! It only takes a minute to share your thoughts.
Please complete the IDODP 2024 Feedback Form
We would like to know what you enjoyed and also what you didn’t like or think could be done better – we are constantly working towards better accessibility and we are aware the noise in the venue is an issue. We welcome your suggestions and input towards future planning.
Photos
There are so many great photos of the day. We have collated a snapshot below.
You can browse a selection in this google drive folder: IDODP 2024 Photo Selection
If you took any photos you would like to share please let us know and we can add them to the folder.
About the day: Theme ‘Advocating for Accessibility’
The day was a pan-disability marketplace event. Stalls represented a range of local organisations in Leeds who advocate for accessibility and support people with physical and sensory impairments, autism, learning disabilities and those experiencing mental health issues.
The day opened with guest speakers sharing their own experiences of advocating for accessibility in Leeds and the Lord Mayor gave a passionate speech in support of making Leeds a more accessible city for everyone. Annemarie Davis and Rob Moriarty spoke of their experience living with disability and advocating for accessibility and independence.
There were brilliant performances that showcased the talents of local performers from People in Action, including singers, a rap artist, a dancer and performance poet.
Visitors also got creative in the Art Zone, and took time out in the calm Quiet Sensory Room.
It was a great opportunity to talk to people, swap ideas and meet up with friends.
We also had a Wishing Tree where people wrote comments on what they would like to see change in Leeds in 2025. Here is a list of wishes people displayed on the tree: Wishing Tree Statements
Advocating for Accessibility must happen practically every day not just at celebratory events. Each one of us can make a difference, and together that difference adds up to societal change and a cultural shifts, for the better.
2024 Materials
Programme – Timetable for the day
View or download the full programme to see what happened on the day.
- Programme IDODP 2024 word document (link to google docs) you can download this as a word document
- Easy Read programme IDODP 2024 V2 (PDF 6MB)
Promotional materials:
- Flyer IDODP Leeds 2024 V4 (pdf 2.1MB)
- Plain text of the International Day of Disabled People flyer (word doc)
