Australian landmarks light up purple to celebrate the world’s 1.2 billion people with a disability

As we prepare to shine the spotlight on the achievements of our Paralympians at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games next week, Paralympics Australia is proud to be part of a new international campaign aimed at changing attitudes and driving social inclusion for people with a disability around the world.

Today (19 August), nine Australian landmarks were part of over 115 iconic landmarks spanning the world to light up purple, representing the international colour of disability, to celebrate the launch of WeThe15, a human rights movement to represent the world’s 1.2 billion people with disability.

Paralympics Australia CEO Lynne Anderson said “We believe this campaign will help drive individuals’ and community conversations and actions around inclusion, diversity and accessibility into the future. These reflect core Paralympic values and reinforce the Paralympic movement’s strength in demonstrating what people with a disability can do in society and how they should be supported to achieve their goals.”

Landmarks around the country that will light up purple at sunset on 19 August include: Story Bridge and Victoria Bridge in Brisbane; Federation Square in Melbourne; Riverbank Footbridge and Adelaide Entertainment Centre in Adelaide; Telstra Tower, The National Carillon, The Royal Australian Mint and Old Parliament House in Canberra. In addition, APEC Haus in Port Moresby (PNG) and Nauru Sea Wall were lit up in the region to celebrate the campaign. Other landmarks illuminated around the world include: Tokyo’s Skytree and Rainbow Bridge, Geneva’s Jet d’Eau, Moscow’s Ostankino Tower, Rome’s Colosseum, the London Eye and the Niagara Falls spanning Canada/USA.

Launched ahead of the Games, WeThe15 aims to end discrimination towards persons with disabilities and act as a global movement publicly campaigning for disability visibility, inclusion, and accessibility. In addition to the purple light-up, a 90-second-long campaign film was also launched.

Spearheaded by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and International Disability Alliance (IDA),and aligned with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, WeThe15 brings together the biggest coalition ever of international organisations from the worlds of sport, human rights, policy, business, arts, and entertainment.

“By continuing to capitalise on the growing profile of the Paralympic Games and Para-athletes up to and beyond the 2032 Brisbane Games, we can advance the SDGs, engage greater audiences and transform global attitudes towards people with disabilities, celebrating diversity and uniqueness along the way,” Ms Anderson said.

For further information about WeThe15 please visit www.WeThe15.org and follow @WeThe15 on Instagram and Twitter.

By: Paralympics Australia
Posted: 19 August 2021
Image: Story Bridge © Brisbane City Council