Although important steps have been taken in the past twenty years towards the social inclusion of people with disabilities, a report recently published by Scope, a British organisation supporting the rights of people with disabilities, shows that much more needs be done.
Following recent media reports on care-service infringements on the rights of people with disabilities in Belgium, France and Romania, the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) is appealing to European Union (EU) institutions to take immediate action in order to address the current situation.
United Kingdom (UK) Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), Julie Mellor, raised an alert regarding the importance of making healthcare services accessible for people with intellectual disabilities.
In the run-up to this May’s Belgian elections, the Flemish civil rights organisation of persons with disabilities GRIP is organizing three open debates between candidates, centred on the rights of people with disabilities.
On 1 May, the International Workers’ Day, Inclusion Europe member FEAPS, along with the Spanish Association for the Employment of Persons with Disabilities (AEDIS) launched an appeal to private companies in Spain to show greater commitment to the employment of people with intellectual disabilities.
In light of the 2014 European Parliament elections, FEAPS is re-launching the ‘My vote counts campaign’ (‘Mi voto cuenta’, in Spanish), previously run during Spanish national and local elections. The campaign raises awareness on the right to vote of persons with intellectual disabilities, which is supported by Art.29 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
