23 rd November, 2015 Franz Wolfmayr, EASPD president eb.at

EASPD EASPD = Improving Services Improving Lives Voice of service providers in Brussels and Strasbourg (over service providers) Tool for information (Knowledge Centres, Newsflashes…) Tool for progress (projects, innovation, de- institutionalisation) 2

Setting the Scene People with disabilities:  29% of people with disabilities have a job (compared to 69% of all Europeans)  62% of people with disabilities are among the poorest in Europe  At least 1.2 million people with disabilities live in intuitions in the European Union (in place with 30+ residents)  The majority of people in institutions do not work, some provide free labour 3

Setting the Scene  Prevalence of institutional care in Europe  Political commitment at the European and international level  Human rights violations in institutional care  Damaging effects of institutionalisation on children and adults (especially at age 0-3)  Better use of resources 4

Disability Policies 3 scene setting documents  UN Convention 2006 (into force on )  Council of Europe Action Plan on disabilities sp/Rec_2006_5%20Disability%20Action%20Plan.pdf  New Disability Strategy (following the EU Actionplan ) 5

UN Convention Art. 1 The purpose of the present Convention is 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. 6

UN Convention Art. 3: Principles  Respect  Non-discrimination  Participation  Equality and Opportunity  Accessibility  Equality between men and women  Respect for evolving capacities 7

UN Convention Follow-up of the Standard Rules  Disability: no longer a medical but a social and citizens definition  Disability is an evolving concept  Persons with disabilities (PWD)  Faced with huge barriers  Risk of poverty  Multi-layered discrimination  Holistic approach is needed  PWD should enjoy and contribute like everybody else 8

UNCRPD Article. 27  People with disabilities have the right to work on an equal basis with others  Prohibit discrimination concerning all forms of employment and promote equal treatment of al workers  Open labour market  Facilitated by specific measures  Valid employment contract and pay equity  Labour and trade union rights  Endure reasonable accommodation  Promote vocational guidance programme & professional rehabilitation 9

Council of Europe action plan on disability Action Line Nr. 5: Employment, vocational guidance and training  To mainstream issues related to employment in the member states in general employment strategies  To ensure, that person with disabilities have access to an objective and individual assessment, …  To ensure their access to top class vocational training … and employment related services  … 10

EU action plan on disability main areas for action Employment is one of them The goal is, to enable more persons with disabilities to earn their living on the open labour market; is especially important to reach the EU 2020 goals Very soft actions like data collection, use of the existing Structural Funds, develop active labour market policies, develop services for job placement, support structures, … Actual situation: the EU failed this goal massively 11

Key factors enabling work  Employment policies for persons with disabilities should be mainstreamed in economic policies, not only social ones.  Legal frameworks should promote active inclusion of pwd in the labour market and should not become a hindrance to the right t work and employment.  Inclusion starts from the early stages of life Educational programs need to be inclusive, accessible and tailored to the specific needs and skills of the individual. 12

Key factors enabling work  Transition from school to employment needs to be addressed by establishing a more sound cooperation between the education system and the labour market, by allocating funding to support the development of targeted internships and by providing support to employers and employees entering into the labour market.  Support must be available in all phases of work life.  Reasonable accomodation is crucial.  Cross sectoral cooperation, including trade unions, is essential to establish sound support frameworks and to identify and tackle any issue with an adequate response. 13

Key factors enabling work  Accessibility and universal design should be given a broad definition to cover all types of disability. Accessibility of transport and of the work place is the first step to enable access to labour market.  Posivitive actions such as the adoption of specific measures targeting pwd should be included and applied to the open labour market and should be monitored, evaluated and adapted, if needed.  Positive attitudes focussing on skills and competences can help overcome negative perceptions and enable labour market participation for pwd.  Support for employers to create their own Corporate Social Responsibility plans is an essential entry point for work and employment of pwd.  The digital divide should be reduced in order to allow pwd to access education, VET, employment and leisure activities.  Support of social cooperatives and social economy actors which promote employment and vocational training for pwd in line with the UN CRPD. 14

Thank You for Your Attention