International Day of Acceptance
Through strength, resilience, and determination, almost anyone can overcome challenges, demonstrating that abilities transcend limitations, and inspire others to embrace their own unique strengths and possibilities.
Align your brand with inclusive values by hosting or sponsoring acceptance-focused community events and educational activities that celebrate diversity and resilience.
- Share employee/customer stories of overcoming challenges and embracing unique strengths
- Host a virtual or in-person community event featuring speakers on diversity, inclusion, and acceptance
- Create educational content around the 3E Love Credo (Embrace, Educate, Empower) tied to your brand values
- Launch a social media campaign encouraging followers to share their acceptance stories with branded hashtags
The International Day of Acceptance (IDOA) is a valuable social entrepreneurial awareness experiment that comes along with a heart-warming back-story.
On January 20th 2009, Annie passed away due to unexpected complications during a simple medical procedure. Her memory lives on in the hearts of her friends and family, and it also lives on in the heart of the International Symbol of Acceptance.
Annie’s brother, Stevie Hopkins, who helped her start 3E Love, paid tribute to his sister’s selfless efforts and vowed to keep them alive.
In 2010, on the first anniversary of Annie’s passing, Stevie and his family founded an annual celebration of her life and work.
The day was established with an invitation for everyone to take part in a variety of ways, from drawing the symbol on a hand or cheek, to ordering buttons and T-shirts from the website, or simply changing social media profile pictures to the logo for the day.
Each year, in celebration of International Day of Acceptance, many organizations, companies and individuals have taken to changing their profile pictures on social media to spread the word, paying tribute to a wonderful girl and her incredible philosophy.
Friends, tell the world you embrace who you are; a person with social rights, who has an opinion, who has interests, who has goals and who loves life; a person who is empowered to make a difference in the world and not be without a voice in society. You are not living disabled, you are living.
Attend an International Day of Acceptance Event
Check at the local library or other community gathering space to find out if there will be events or activities in celebration of the International Day of Acceptance. Many schools, colleges, universities, government agencies and companies will show their support by hosting educational activities, entertainment, community events and more. For those individuals, businesses or schools who are interested in hosting an event, the 3E Love website offers a toolkit not only for this day, but to inspire other celebrations in an inclusive manner, like Halloween, Service Animal Day, Earth Day and more.
Share Experiences about Acceptance
The folks at the International Day of Acceptance website encourage individuals to share their experiences about what acceptance means, and share photos online. The website showcases a wide range of photographs and words that tell hundreds of stories of folks who have embraced the concept of acceptance in a world where everyone has differing abilities. Read some of them, get inspired by them, and share the love with others!
Learn the 3E Love Credo
One of the important factors related to International Day of Acceptance and its association with 3E Love is the foundation of 3 E’s on which the organization was built. Check them out and perhaps share them to raise awareness and show appreciation for this important day. Embrace Diversity Educate the CommunityEmpower Acceptance and Love
Order and Wear Acceptance Merch
From t-shirts and hoodies to jogging pants and hats, a great way to show support for the International Day of Acceptance is by donning the merchandise. Hopefully, wearing it will create conversations, not only on the day but all throughout the year, about what it means to live in an accepting and diverse community. With a wide range of different designs in various colors, with themes such as, “That’s how I roll” and “Kindness is contagious”, there can certainly be something for everyone who wants to raise awareness in celebration of acceptance.