This morning, my mom and I (both proud disabled women) wished each other a happy day of us. It's the International Day of People with Disabilities, and our community deserves a celebration. But then we got to talking about how days like IDPD come and go every year, yet it feels like the world around us constantly makes one roll forward toward progress and two (or three or four) rolls back. Much of this backward movement is weighing particularly heavy on my mind today--everything from the news out of NYC about forced institutionalization, to the fact that so many people seem to be conveniently forgetting all the lessons we should've learned because of the pandemic. But I'm also thinking about what's giving me hope: the beautiful, diverse, vibrant community of disabled people who never settle for the status quo and refuse to keep quiet when rights are on the line. This is what I'm celebrating today. And tomorrow. And next week. And all month. And next year. Always. So as you share your IDPD posts and host your events, don't let them simply be a one-day signal of acknowledging disabled people, a box you've checked off. Because the more than one billion disabled people who exist in this world are worthy of access and full inclusion today. And tomorrow. And next week. And all month. And next year. Always. #IDPD #IDPD2022 #IDPWD #InternationalDayOfPersonsWithDisabilities #Disability #DisabilityRights #DemystifyingDisability [Image description: Dark purple background. Text reads: “The more than one billion disabled people who exist in this world are worthy of access and full inclusion today. And tomorrow. And next week. And all month. And next year. Always.” Below is a logo of a wheel encircled by text that reads “Words I Wheel By” and my handle, @EmilyLadau.]