Disability news and resources in Europe
This page lists the countries in Europe with resources and recent highlights.
Countries
- Europe
- Albania
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Kosovo
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Moldova
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russia
- Slovakia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- Vatican City
- Western Balkans
Recent Highlights
In Europe:
Europe's hidden shame: documentary on forced sterilisation of women with disabilities. “They took me to hospital without telling me anything.” See also a feature article. (Jun, Euronews)
Info sheet on measures for arrival of displaced people fleeing the war in Ukraine, including extensive reference to measures in relation to disability. (Apr, ecre)
End the Nightmare: Passengers with disabilities deserve to travel by air – a call for passenger rights. (Apr, EDF)
In France:
Debate over closure of establishments for disabled people has stalled. “Emmanuel Macron recently advocated "deinstitutionalization", while emptying the term of its meaning.” (In French, Jun, Libération) See discussion on the Debrief.
The Council of Europe denounces violation of rights of people with disabilities by the French State:
“The Council of Europe has now declared the lack of support and shortage of support services, socio-economic injustices, difficulty in accessing housing and health care, but also the refusal of schooling. The freedom and dignity of people with disabilities are hindered, their rights are violated by the French state.” (Apr, Inclusion Europe)
In Greece:
Tourism for disabled people has obstacles “Holidays are like a battle plan" (In Greek, May, Dikaioma)
In Poland:
People with Disabilities Push for Access to Personal Assistance “Last Saturday, dozens of people dressed in black carried a coffin through the streets of Warsaw to the presidential palace.” (May, Human Rights Watch)
In Romania:
Romania horrified by inhumane abuse in care centres for disabled “an investigation revealed that a well-established criminal network involving state officials and private individuals ran “Nazi camps-style” care centres for disabled people who were left to starve without food or care.” (Jul, Euractiv)
In Sweden:
Disability, Gender and Hiring Discrimination: an experiment sending 2,000 job applications found that “nondisabled applicants receive 33 percent more callbacks than similarly qualified wheelchair users despite applying for jobs where the impairment should not interfere with performance” (Jun, IZA Institute of Labour Economics)
In the Ukraine:
Families Find a Way: report on families and children in the midst of war. (Jun, Disability Rights International)
Report on the situation of persons with disabilities in the context of the war of aggression by Russia against Ukraine. “This report focuses on the voices of persons with disabilities themselves, through extensive personal testimony from persons with disabilities and some of their representative organizations with the aim of encouraging more disability- inclusive rights protection and humanitarian response.” (Apr, IDA)
In the United Kingdom:
An uphill battle from day one: “Non-disabled women are twice as likely as disabled women to have the person they accuse of rape charged or summonsed.” (Jun, Now Then Magazine)
Asylum seekers with disabilities ‘abandoned’ in former Essex care home. One advocate described this as “putting them in a dustbin and putting the lid on. But what they need is help. What is going on is unpardonable”. (Jun, the Guardian)
Signs for Change review of a beautiful documentary by Rose Ayling-Ellis. See also an interview with Rose: “Nobody deaf in this country has the profile I have. I just want to get it right.” (Jun, the Guardian)
Rights on Flights: the new campaign seeking to make air travel more accessible. Exchange with Sophie Morgan. (May, National Geographic)