Tomorrow, on 3 December, we will celebrate the European Day of Persons with Disabilities. The European Commission chose this important occasion to  publish a long-awaited piece of legislation: the European Accessibility Act (EAA).
“EU money should be used to support independent living, not institutions”, said MEP Richard Howitt who hosted the Policy Seminar “Putting citizens at the centre of politics”.
Not good enough. Three words to summarize the track record of the European Union (EU) in upholding the rights of people with disabilities, as made clear by the United Nations (UN) this week.
Today, we are proud. Legal capacity and the violations of the rights of people with intellectual disabilities topped the agenda of the Constructive Dialogue led by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on 27-28 August in Geneva.
People with disabilities are often prevented from traveling freely by the lack of recognition of their disability status, and by their inability to access services they would normally be entitled to in their home countries.
It is no news that people with intellectual disabilities are discriminated against. Still, the scale of the problem is often minimized, and instances of neglect and abuse are brushed under the carpet.
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is currently in the process of examining the measures taken by the European institutions to ensure that the rights of people with disabilities are considered in all relevant legislative proposals.
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is currently in the process of examining the measures taken by the European institutions to ensure that the rights of people with disabilities are considered in all relevant legislative proposals.
The statistics are clear – children with intellectual disabilities are increasingly excluded from mainstream schooling, and either isolated in special schools, or denied access to education completely.
While many European countries are developing policies formally geared towards inclusive education, the segregation of students with disabilities has been constantly growing since 2008.
