Published: 2018
Total Pages: 39
Get eBook
The annual European Day of Persons with Disabilities Conference which was held in Brussels on the 4th and 5th of December 2017 fulfilled once again its unique role as a major event for highlighting the challenges faced by persons with disabilities, and exploring how these can be solved. Against a backdrop in Europe of rapid social change and political uncertainty, this year’s conference was an opportunity to discuss the impact of major European Union policy developments affecting the rights of persons with disabilities, and in particular the rights to full inclusion and participation in political and public life. The event, which focused firmly on EU citizenship, posed key questions such as how persons with disabilities can be better informed of their rights and how to ensure direct involvement in developing and implementing policy. Hosted by the European Commission in partnership with the European Disability Forum, the conference is part of wider EU efforts to promote mainstreaming of disability issues in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD), to which the European Union and the majority of its Member States are parties, and also in line with the eight areas of the European Disability Strategy 2010-2020. The packed event gathered together hundreds of delegates including self-advocates, politicians, academic experts on a range of disability and rights-related issues, representatives from international and European institutions, and members of disabled people’s organisations from across the European Union. During two days of thought-provoking and engaging debate, three diverse panels examined fundamental aspects of what EU citizenship means in reality for persons with disabilities. Panel one addressed the important question: What does the EU do for its citizens with disabilities? This was followed by a panel focused on whether active political participation remained just a dream, and on the final day, a third panel considered how accessible cities might produce sustainable inclusion for everyone. Each panel session was followed by lively and informative contributions and comments from the conference floor while the event was promoted widely on social media. Highlights from this year’s event included valuable discussions about how the European Pillar of Social Rights can be best employed to advance the rights of EU citizens with disabilities, the significance of the European Accessibility Act and the role of UN Sustainable Development Goals. More broadly, topics that featured prominently emphasized the continued social exclusion of persons with disabilities in employment and education, including those with learning disabilities, plus the many and various barriers remaining in the way of full participation in all aspects of political systems. Guaranteeing equal citizenship with others was a central theme throughout.