Download towards full participation, inclusion and empowerment

Summary of the Debate
Protecting and promoting the rights of
persons with disabilities in Europe:
towards full participation, inclusion and
empowerment
Howard Leigh
Rapporteur General
[email protected]
Principle plenary
themes
Day 1
Principle plenary themes – Day 1
We heard about
• the international/legal background from Maari,
Oddny and Michael; and what disabled people
think – from Pekka
• The practical steps taken by two Council Member
States – at different stages of their development
- to sign, ratify and implement the UN Convention
Principle plenary themes – Day 1
International and regional
human rights instruments have
produced a paradigm shift in
the approach to disability
Principle plenary themes – Day 1
•Human rights are for individuals
• Creation of a free and democratic
society where these rights are
respected and diversity celebrated
•Normality and abnormality?
Principle plenary themes – Day 1
•Disability is a human rights issue.
•Disabled people are not objects of charity
•Disabled people have the same inalienable human
rights as non-disabled people.
•They must be given the opportunities to exercise and
enjoy those rights on the same basis as everyone else
Principle plenary themes – Day 1
• There is an acknowledged gap between
rhetoric and reality
• That gap must be closed through
effective implementation and
monitoring of the Council’s Disability
Action Plan and
ratification/implementation/monitoring
of the UNCRPD
Principle plenary themes – Day 1
• Issues that need specific attention
– Respect for national domestic legal and political
systems but some common themes emerging
– Legal Capacity
– Some groups do much worse than others, children
with disabilities and people with mental health
problems are two examples
Principle plenary themes – Day 1
Nothing about us without us
Disabled people prime source of
knowledge but with the necessary
co-operation of others, national,
regional and local levels
Principle plenary themes – Day 1
• Understanding the changed environment –
focus on human rights is therefore essential
but is not sufficient to ensure change
• Practical changes to policies, practices and
procedures required - mainstreaming
• Progressive implementation – but with care
The Workshops – Days 1 & 2
Brief Summaries
The Workshops – Day 1
Workshop 1 – Children with disabilities
Basic message – law, policy, environment, attitudes,
resource priority need to be tackled and examined
Solutions – a rights based, planned & consultative
approach involving children & their parents, proper
setting of standards and training & with rigorous
monitoring
The Workshops – Day 1
Workshop 2 – Women and girls with disabilities
•Basic message – women and girls experience
multiple discrimination on grounds of gender
and disability
•Solutions – awareness raising, attitudinal
change; gender mainstreaming; action plans,
consultations and budgets – focused on women
and girls with disabilities
Workshops – Day 1
Workshop 3 – Ageing and Disability
Basic message – Ageing and disability policies are to be
understood separately and together
Solutions - urgent need to understand population
mobility issues; independent living; policy perspectives;
definitions should be @ European level; wide
involvement of all stakeholders
Workshops – Day 2
Workshop 4 – Universal design/Accessibility
Basic message – Full participation requires
application of UD/D4A principles amongst all
stakeholders
Solutions – Legal framework, legislation, public
procurement policy. Plan for UD/D4A from the
outset – lowers costs/ensure sustainability!
Workshops – Day 2
Workshop 5 Mainstreaming – roles and
responsibilities
Basic Message: Clear national strategy – gaps and
indicators; applies to all key policy areas, principles are
human rights, participation of NGOs and nondiscriminatory legislation; engagement with disabled
people. Powerful impact of the two international
disability rights instruments, States still developing
solutions
Workshops – Day 2
Workshop 6 Quality of services and support
Basic message - Quality services seen through a
human rights approach
Solutions – Resources for service providers is
crucial question
A quotation to end with!
(Michael Stein)
“Will my child have
friends”?