EMPL

“Don’t You (Forget About Me): Europeans with a disability are at a greater risk of social exclusion. Furthermore, half of the disabled persons feel unfairly treated and discriminated against in day-to-day life, with a further 1 in 5 being victims of violence and abuse. Given that the EU is home to an estimated 100 million…

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

Oswin Šimánek (CZ)

“Don’t You (Forget About Me): Europeans with a disability are at a greater risk of social exclusion. Furthermore, half of the disabled persons feel unfairly treated and discriminated against in day-to-day life, with a further 1 in 5 being victims of violence and abuse. Given that the EU is home to an estimated 100 million disabled persons, what can be done to create a more inclusive and accepting society for disabled persons?”

Executive Summary 

Persons with disabilities face many challenges in their daily lives. In recent years the conversation about creating an inclusive society has been much more open, however disabilities are still broadly considered a taboo topic and persons with disabilities are often overlooked.

The challenges and barriers spread across many different fields including but not limited to discrimination in education, employment or healthcare as well as persons with disabilities being at higher risk of becoming victims of violence.

There are institutions and organisations which aim to work towards removing the barriers and challenges, e.g. the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion or the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. 

Although there are legislative frameworks and other measures in place, half of the disabled  persons feel unfairly treated and discriminated against in day-to-day life. There is still work to be done by the EU institutions, Member States, and  local authorities to ensure our society is truly inclusive of everyone.

Figure 1: Graph showing the share of women and men with disabilities by Member State (Source: Council of the EU)

Introduction and Relevance of the Topic

Persons with disabilities form a great and valuable part of our European society. Unfortunately they are often faced with barriers preventing them from participating in our society on an equal basis with others. 

Disability is a very broad and multidimensional term, which is difficult to universally define. According to the World Health Organisation, disability has three dimensions; impairments in persons’ body function or mental functioning (e.g., hearing loss, loss of limb, memory loss), activity limitations (e.g., difficulty seeing, hearing, walking or problem-solving), participation restrictions in day-to-day activities (e.g., working, obtaining healthcare or engaging in social activities). 

The United Nations’ (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) defines persons with disabilities as ‘those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others’. According to Eurostat’s  estimates, there are around 101 million persons with disabilities over the age of 16 living in the EU. That means one in every four people has some form of disability which equals on average 29,5 % of the total female population and 24,4 % of the total male population. 

The EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights (Article 21) prohibits discrimination on the ground of disability. Despite this, people with disabilities are one of the groups of people who are most prone to experience discrimination in various fields including education, healthcare and employment.

Figure 2: Infographic showing the basis  of widespread discrimination in the EU (Source: Eurobarometer)

It is important to note that to be able to conduct a relevant assessment of the living situation of persons with disabilities, disability is measured. At EU level, the so-called global activity limitation indicator (GALI) is considered as the main measure of disability. It classifies three categories; severely limited1, limited but not severely2, and not limited at all3.

Fundamental Challenges 

High rates discrimination

People with disabilities face discrimination every day. An alarming share of 52 % of persons with disabilities feel discriminated against. Mostly, it is against the law, particularly in areas such as at work, in education, when renting or buying property, or when providing goods, facilities and services. In some policy areas however, it is not against the law to discriminate against people with disabilities, for example in access to public transport services.

Figure 3: Graph showing percentage of unemployed persons divided by the measure of their disability (Source: Publications Office of the EU)

High rates of early school leavers

Concerningly, there is a higher number of early school leavers among persons with disabilities. In 2020, 22,9 % of persons with disabilities aged 18-24 were early school leavers compared to 9,3% of their non-disabled peers. According to human capital theory4 education helps to increase knowledge and skills, which are crucial when finding a job. Consequently, the proportion of early school leavers indicates the expected success of job-seekers on the labour market.

High unemployment rate

Approximately 4,8 million persons with disabilities between the ages 20 to 64 are unemployed in the EU. Thus the unemployment rate among this group is 17,7 % compared to 8,6 % among persons without disabilities in the same age range. It is also very important to note that the unemployment rate is notably higher for people with severe disabilities. Thus, persons with disabilities are at a significantly higher risk of poverty.

Increased poverty risk

One of the most, if not the most, fatal challenges people with disabilities face is a significantly higher risk of poverty5 after social transfers6 compared to people without disabilities. Comparative data analysis conducted by the EU concludes that around 20,9 % of persons with disabilities over the age of 16 face the risk of poverty, compared to 14,8 % of persons without disabilities.

Unmet medical needs

On average 4,1 % persons with disabilities reported unmet needs for medical care because of ‘financial reasons’, ‘waiting list’ or ‘too far to travel’ in 2020. Contrastingly,  only 0,9 % of  persons without disabilities reported relating to that same statement. This fact is increasingly concerning when we look at local data, as significant disparities in persons with disabilities’ access to medical care can be found between Member States. The percentage was alarmingly high in several countries such as Estonia (20,4 %), Greece (19,0 %) and Romania (16,4 %).

Higher risk of being a victim of violence

Persons with disabilities are also at greater risk to become a victim of violence and/or abuse, especially women, children and the elderly. 17 % of persons with disabilities are victims of violence, compared to 8 % of persons without disabilities. Children with disabilities are most prone to physical violence (20,4 %), emotional abuse (18,1 %) and sexual violence (13,7 %). It is also important to note that women, especially women with disabilities are at higher risk to be victims of violence than men. 

Key Stakeholders

  • Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL): The EMPL committee of the European Parliament is responsible for employment and all aspects of social policy, including social inclusion. The EMPL committee is where discussions about creating a more inclusive society for persons with disabilities and ensuring their equal rights currently take place. The EMPL committee is consulted by the European Commission during the process of proposing and drafting new legislation. It can propose amendments to the legislation or draft legislative resolutions.
  • Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL): The European Commission’s DG EMPL is responsible for proposing new legislation and policies regarding employment, social affairs, skills and related EU funding programmes. It has the competence to provide guidelines through which the Member States must coordinate their policies.
  • European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA): The FRA is an independent centre focusing on promoting and protecting human rights in the EU. The FRA collects and analyses law and data, uses these analyses to identify trends in the EU and provides independent and evidence-based advice. As part of its mission of protecting human rights, the FRA works towards advancing the rights of persons with disabilities. 
  • European Disability Forum (EDF): The EDF is an umbrella organisation which brings together representative organisations of persons with disabilities across Europe. It is a united voice of persons with disabilities which advocates for inclusive EU policies.
  • European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD): The EASPD is a non-profitnon-governmental organisation which promotes the views of different social services providers and their umbrella associations. They also work towards advancing equal opportunities for people with disabilities through effective and high-quality service systems.

Measures in Place

Strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities

The Strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021-2030 adopted by the European Commission sets an objective of ensuring that all persons with disabilities in Europe enjoy their human rights, have equal opportunities and equal access to participate in society and economy, move freely in the EU regardless of their support needs, are able to decide how, where and with whom they live with and no longer experience discrimination. A number of flagship initiatives which aim at realising this goal, such as the disability platform are contained within this strategy

Disability PlatformThe Disability Platform is an initiative of the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It is an expert group consisting of specialists from Member States and representatives of several EU-level non-governmental organisations. The Disability Platform 

was set up to discuss relevant policy developments and exchange experiences. It also provides a forum to engage in the preparation of policy initiatives and law proposals.

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is an international treaty. The signatories commit themselves to protect, promote and guarantee the rights of persons with disabilities. It was adopted in 2006 which makes it the first international legally binding document setting the minimum standards for the rights of persons with disabilities. Today the number of signatories reached 164. All  Member States have signed and ratified the convention which means that everyone of them has formally committed to protecting the rights of persons with disabilities.

European accessibility act

The European accessibility act is a directive which aims to create better conditions for persons with disabilities by improving the market for accessible products and services. This EU directive intends to do so by  removing barriers created by different market rules in Member States. Common rules on accessibility further aim to reduce the cost of accessible products and services.

Accessibility standardisation

The European Commision has begun the process of accessibility standardisation.7 It has instructed European standards organisations8 to create an inclusive environment (e.g. streets, buildings or websites). The European accessibility standards support the implementation of the “design for all9” approach.

Outlook

There is a lot to be done to ensure persons with disabilities can live their lives fully without barriers in our society and discrimination. Individual initiatives hold equal significance alongside broader EU-wide strategies in the pursuit of fostering a society more inclusive and accepting of everyone regardless of their gender identity, racial or ethnic origin, religion and beliefs, sexual orientation or disability.

In order to be able to make our society more inclusive, it is crucial to know of current legislation, initiatives and other measures in place. To be able to come up with helpful, practical and applicable solutions, it is also important to know which actors have competencies connected to our topic.

What can we do to effectively make European society more inclusive and accepting of persons with disabilities? What policies could ensure the right of equal opportunities without barriers for persons with disabilities?

Outlook

There is a lot to be done to ensure persons with disabilities can live their lives fully without barriers in our society and discrimination. Individual initiatives hold equal significance alongside broader EU-wide strategies in the pursuit of fostering a society more inclusive and accepting of everyone regardless of their gender identity, racial or ethnic origin, religion and beliefs, sexual orientation or disability.

In order to be able to make our society more inclusive, it is crucial to know of current legislation, initiatives and other measures in place. To be able to come up with helpful, practical and applicable solutions, it is also important to know which actors have competencies connected to our topic.

What can we do to effectively make European society more inclusive and accepting of persons with disabilities? What policies could ensure the right of equal opportunities without barriers for persons with disabilities?

Links for Further Research

  1. “severely limited” GALI definition: “performing or accomplishing an activity cannot be done or only done with extreme difficulty, and that this situation has been ongoing for at least the past 6 months. Persons in this category usually cannot do the activity alone and would need further help from other people”. ↩︎
  2. “limited but not severely” GALI definition: “performing or accomplishing a usual activity can be done but only with some difficulties, and that this situation has been ongoing for at least the past 6 months.
    Persons in this category usually do not need help from other persons. When help is provided it is
    usually less often than daily”.

    ↩︎
  3.  “not limited at all” GALI definition: “performing or accomplishing usual activities can be done without any difficulties, or that any possible activity limitation has NOT been going on for at least the past 6 months (i.e. it is not a long-standing limitation)”. ↩︎
  4. The human capital theory thinks of education and training as investments that could add to a person’s productivity. ↩︎
  5. The European Commission defines persons at risk of poverty as “those with an equivalised disposable income below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold, which is set at 60 % of the national median equivalised household disposable income (after social transfers)”. ↩︎
  6. The International Labour Organisation defines social transfers as “a transfer from one group in a society to another (e.g. from the active age groups to the old) either in cash or in kind (access to goods and social services)”. ↩︎
  7. Accessibility standardisation are actions taken to ensure that persons with disabilities have access on equal basis with others to the physical environment, transportation, ICT and other facilities and services. ↩︎
  8.  European standards organisations work jointly to support the implementation of the European legislation. ↩︎
  9. Design for All approach means designing products with the aim to enable maximum use of said products, goods and services. ↩︎