Protecting and promoting the rights of persons with disabilities in

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Protecting and promoting the rights of persons
with disabilities in Europe towards full
participation, inclusion and empowerment
Towards full participation of ageing persons
with disabilities
Workshop 3 Ageing and Disability
Council of Europe Sweden 28-30 October 2008
Isabel Cottinelli Telmo European Disability Forum
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Ageing is one of the humanity greatest
conquests Are we prepared to face the challenge
it represents?
across Europe, about 15 million elderly will
acquire some form of disability while
about 10 million people with a disability will
become elderly (Spooren, J.,2007)
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Ageing people with disabilities face the problems
resulting from their handicap and the
problems resulting from getting old People with
high complex dependency needs and problems of
communication have a double vulnerability
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UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities Council of Europe Disability
Action Plan 2006-2015 European Union Disability
Strategy 2004-2010
Purpose of the UN Convention to promote,
protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment
of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by
all persons with disabilities, and to promote
respect for their inherent dignity including
those who face more barriers that may hinder
their full and effective participation in society
on an equal basis with others
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Council of Europe Disability Action Plan
recognizes that The progressive ageing of
people with disabilities, particularly those
requiring more intensive support due to the
nature of their impairment, presents new
challenges for societies across Europe and
requires innovative approaches to meet these
challenges across a wide range of services and
areas one of the more vulnerable groups of
people with disabilities is the group of people
who, due to the severity and complexity of
their disability, are in need of a high level
of support. Their quality of life is very much
dependent on the availability of appropriate
quality services and specific, often intensive
support
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Rights in the Convention

• Right to effective access to justice for persons
  with
• disabilities on an equal basis with others
• (UN Convention article 13)
• Right to equal protection and equal benefit of
  the law
• (articles 5,12)
• promote appropriate training for those working
  in the field of
• administration of justice, including police and
  prison staff

• Right to freedom from exploitation, violence and
  abuse
• (article16)
• Right to freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman
  or degrading
• treatment or punishment (article15)

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Rights in the Convention

• Right to have a provision for accurate diagnosis
  and accurate
• information on the specific health condition
• including early identification and
  intervention as appropriate, and
• services designed to minimize and prevent
  further disabilities, including
• among children and older persons (article 25
  b)
• Right to have an accurate assessment of their
  individual
• needs and forward planning as well as
  availability of required
• services
• (Council of Europe Action Plan)

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UN Convention recognizes the importance of
full and effective participation and
inclusion in society as a general principle
(article 3) a general obligation (article 4)
Programmes tailored to individual needs and
strenghts

• To improve accessibility on communication and
  social
• interaction (articles 9,19, 21, 29)
• To implement or adapt services (article 26)
• To provide for housing facilities (articles 19,
  28)
• To train professional staff (CoE Action Plan)
• To foster cultural and leisure activities
  (article 30)
• To provide for a realistic and adequate
  financial support
• (article 28)

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Planning and coordination across relevant
authorities, government agencies and
service providers are needed to adequately
address the specific problems of ageing people
with disabilities
At national level the Convention expressly
stipulates that civil society, in particular
persons with disabilities and their
representative organizations shall be involved
and participate fully in the monitoring process
(UN Convention article 33. 3)
At international level States Parties are invited
to give due consideration to consulting with and
actively involving persons with disabilities
through their representative organizations (UN
Convention articles 34.3 and 4.3)
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European Disability Forum

• EDF is an umbrella organisation with full members
  in 27 EU countries, Norway, Iceland 43 European
  organisations from all main disabilities and
  chronic illnesses
• Persons with disabilities families organised in
  national and European federations as leaders
• Bringing the unified voice of disabled people in
  Europe
• Fighting for equal opportunities human rights
  across the EU agenda
• Making sure that no decisions affecting disabled
  people are taken without them

www.edf-feph.org
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Making human rights a reality

• EDF has together with its members invited
  European Countries to sign and ratify the UN
  Convention, through letters, meetings, seminars,
  press conferences, events
• EDF members joining official delegations in
  signing ceremony
• Translations made by EDF members
• Guidance documents and seminars on key provisions
  
• EDF played an important and active role in the
  elaboration of the Council of Europe Disability
  Action Plan
• Informing the disability movement on the CoE
  action plan
• In active dialogue with the EU fundamental rights
  agency

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And what is our role as a participant citizen in
the world? Without our active participation in
the process, whether in the government, in our
employments, or wherever we live and work, the
implementation of UN Convention and all other
legal documents will not be possible Our
contribution to the awareness of the urgency of
full inclusion of ageing people with disabilities
and their right to empowerment is the only way to
reach their full participation in schools, in
community organizations and in politics and
public life