News

Quarterly report released by the Czech Ombudsman last month points at significant obstacles encountered by families when placing their child with a disability into regular schools

On 26 February, the European Parliament endorsed amendments to the proposal for a Directive on the accessibility of public sector bodies’ website put forward by the European Commission in December 2012.

The 2014 edition of the Zero Project Report focusing on accessibility was launched at the United Nations Office in Vienna on 27-28 February in the presence of some 470 participants from all over the world.

Inclusion International has launched a new project funded by the United Nations Democracy Fund.

It is positive to see the European Council calling for “stepping up efforts to reach the Europe 2020 targets”. This supports the request of employment and social affairs ministers during their EPSCO meeting last week to “strengthen their efforts to reduce poverty”.

On 26 February, the European Parliament endorsed amendments to the proposal for a Directive on the accessibility of public sector bodies’ website put forward by the European Commission in December 2012.

It is positive to see the European Council calling for “stepping up efforts to reach the Europe 2020 targets”. This supports the request of employment and social affairs ministers during their EPSCO meeting last week to “strengthen their efforts to reduce poverty”.

On 11 February, European Disability Forum (EDF) officially presented its manifesto for the upcoming European elections at the premises of the European Parliament in Brussels. The document features the main demands of the disability movement towards the newly elected European Parliament.

The European Commission questions Italy over the enforcement of rights of passengers with disabilities. According to the official communication from the European Commission, Italy failed to uphold the rights of passengers with disabilities in three areas: coach and bus transport, maritime and inland waterway transport and the compensation fund. The government of Italy has two months to reply to the Commission how they plan to overcome these challenges.

The first African Leaders Forum on Disability committed to take up the steps necessary to improve the access of people with disabilities to fundamental rights. The forum hosted by Joyce Banda, the President of Malawi, and Special Olympics on 10 February in Lilongwille, the capital of Malawi, established the African Leadership Alliance on Intellectual Disabilities with an aim to boost the rights of people with intellectual disabilities in African countries.