Acessibility Freedom Guide

8/2/2019 Acessibility Freedom Guide

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disabiliTy movemenT

ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TEChNOlOGIES (ICT)

ICT do not take into account the speci c e-accessibility requirements o persons with disabilities. I notmade accessible, this results in disabled peoples inability rom to per orm simple actions everyone elseis capable o , and in doing so limits their right to Free movement. For instance, in case o an emergencywhile travelling abroad, a dea or hard o hearing person will not be able to call everywhere 112, which isthe single European emergency number, this could have serious and harm ul implications. Dea and hardo hearing people respectively require video- and text-relay services to be able to make a call rom theirmobile phone as any other citizen.

TRANSPORT

Freedom o movement is an undeniable essentiality or persons with all kinds o disabilities but will neverbecome a reality unless accessibility o transport services is guaranteed. As a blind person, I am particularlyconcerned about the lack o adequate support and o in ormation available in accessible ormats, requiredboth prior and during a journey. The situation and rules in the di erent EU countries vary a lot, whichmakes it even more complicated or persons with disabilities to travel. Accessibility o transport servicesmust be mandated through legislation, such as a European Accessibility Act. We urgently need e ectiveand harmonised regulations.

Mr Marce Bobe dijk

Member o EDF expert group on ICT, President o the EuropeanFederation o Hard o Hearing (EFHOH)

Mr Rodo o Cattani

EDF Secretary, Vice President o the Social Plat orm, Chairmano the Commission or Liaising with the EU o European BlindUnion (EBU)

5. Disability movement


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BUIlT ENVIRONMENT

In the built environment (places where we live, work or just pass through), a person with disabilitystill has to overcome plenty o obstacles to movement and orientation, to in ormation or to the use oelements and equipment that comprise their environments. These obstacles appear in both our everydaylives and emergency situations; they restrict his/her autonomy, sa ety, privacy and dignity and causediscrimination against him/her. Accessibility o the built environment constitutes a core principle toenabling persons with disabilities to bene t rom Free movement o persons, goods and services.

YOUTh

The European Union targets youth o ering possibilities to study or work in di erent Member States.Many young Europeans with disabilities are willing to make use o their right to Free movement and theopportunities on the equal basis with their peers, to ully pro t rom the richness o ered by interculturalexperience. We need to make sure that EU programmes are accessible or all, covering cross borderassurance o the same services or people with special needs and providing or accessible in ormationabout these opportunities. Do young people with disabilities really need to ace additional barriers?

Ms Mari y C ristof

Member o EDF expert group on Built Environment,Engineer, Accessibility Expert, Collaborator on accessibility issues o the National Con ederation o Disabled People inGreece (ESAEA)

Mr Jo n Patrick C arke

EDF Executive & Finance Committee member, Presidento Down Syndrome International, Chair o EDF YouthCommittee


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ACCESS TO hEAlTh

I am currently reading a book about the history o Human Rights. A lesson I have learnt is that peopleconstantly have to ght or their rights, including their equal right to quality health services. Persons withdisabilities o ten have a poorer health status than persons without disabilities. Appropriate measures, suchas accessible in ormation, user participation, compensation or disability-related costs and improvemento physical accessibility must be ensured to guarantee that persons with disabilities can bene t romcross-border health services on equal terms with others. Furthermore, persons with rare conditions wouldundoubtedly gain better increased access to proper treatment i European cooperation is enhanced withregards to the treatment and rehabilitation related to these conditions.

Mr Ingemar Frm

EDF Board member, Member o the SwedishDisability Federation (HSO)

ACCESS TO SERVICES

To be able to choose to lead ones li e in the city or in the countryside, where one has the right to enjoyqualitative, adapted and coordinated services, enable an independent li e.

To be able to participate in political, cultural li e and sporting activities to ensure social inclusion.

To be able to communicate due to the availability o texts, books, newspapers, announcements inBraille, audio and easy-to-understand language.

All o the above mentioned aspects are part o our everyday lives and are thus necessities or inclusion andparticipation in community li e. Accessibility enables persons with disabilities to enjoy their Freedom omovement, in a sa e, digni ed and independent way. EU countries, in all their diversity, have to ollow thisprinciple urgently and with greater commitment.

Mr A ain Faure

EDF Executive Committee member, Member o FrenchCouncil o Disabled People or European A airs (CFHE)



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Mr Bruno Gaurier

Member o EDF expert network on Transport,Policy Advisor or the French Council o Disabled Peopleor European A airs (CFHE)

Ms Erzsebet F desi

EDF Vice-President, Board member o the National Councilo Federations o People with Disabilities (FESZT)

SOCIAl PROTECTION

Mobility o persons with disabilities must address the issue o access to social protection systems,disability-related assistance, retirement and bene ts programmes. In order to acilitate movement romone country to another, persons with disabilities should be allowed to bring along their rights, allowancesand protection systems. This would enable them to access all the services and goods they need on anequal basis with others. However, di erences between European countries in terms o recognition,de nition and assessment o disability statuses are too wide and there is a lack o political willingnessto harmonise social security systems across Europe. The European Mobility Card could be the rst steptowards a common minimum set o rights in all EU countries. Appropriate and accessible dissemination o

in ormation about the social protection systems in di erent Member States could also contribute to theenjoyment o Freedom o movement by European citizens with disabilities.

AIR PASSENGERS RIGhTS

Air transport or persons with disabilities has slightly improved during recent years due to theimplementation o a European regulation in 2006. This regulation was supposed to make Freedom omovement or persons with disabilities possible, through improving the accessibility o air transportservices. It is essential that fight attendants (and sta in direct contact with disabled travellers) aretrained according to similar criteria so that the same quality o services is guaranteed all over Europe.Without such measures, Free movement o persons will remain an illusion and persons with disabilitieswill still be discriminated.

Karine Lhemon


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EDUCATION

The greatest barrier to education o persons with disabilities is the immediate and negative judgmentalattitude towards the necessities o inclusive education. Hence we can only observe minor e orts to removethe existing barriers such as accessibility o school buildings, inclusiveness o schools, adequate curricula,and methods o teaching, including individual support. All o these obstacles hinder the access to primary,not to mention secondary and tertiary education systems. Access to education systems is essential to beable to bene t rom mobility and exchange programmes both at national and European level, such as theErasmus programme. These programmes should include supports to students with disabilities.

Ms Ingrid Krner

EDF Executive Committee member,Board member o Inclusion Europe

Mr Erik O sen

EDF Executive Committee member, Board member o European Network o (ex-) Users and Survivors in Psychiatry (ENUSP)

DE-INSTITUTIONSAlISATION

The institutionalisation o persons with disabilities is in total contradiction with undamental rights. Allpersons in the EU must have the possibility to bene t equally rom Freedom o movement, but today thisis ar rom the reality. One o the most extreme examples o barriers is that some persons with mentalhealth issues are tied to a bed in an institution where they might live temporarily or permanently. Suchdegrading and violent measures can go on or hours. De-institutionalisation is an absolute preconditionor Freedom o movement.



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WOMENS RIGhTS

Both legal and practical circumstances limit the Freedom o movement or women with disabilities andmothers o children with disabilities to a greater extent than men. Given the high unemployment rates othis demographic, it is necessary to take special measures such as to promote their inclusion in the labourmarket, including certain social entitlements which are supposed to help support them when taking up a job or studying, either domestically or abroad. Adequately unded child and elderly care acilities shouldbe promoted, in order to allow or women with disabilities and mothers o children with disabilities to usetheir right to Freedom o movement in practice.

Ms Ana Pe ez

EDF Executive Committee member and Director o International Relations at the Spanish NationalOrganisation o the Blind (ONCE)

DEVElOPING COUNTRIES

The latest statistics show that there are one billion disabled people in the world; 80% o them live in theso-called developing countries. A ected by natural disasters, armed conficts and economic instability,many communities in the global south are struggling to live in dignity. The European Union is the worldslargest donor o development aid, but is the EU really acilitating the movement o people with disabilitiesin developing countries? The EU will enhance the Freedom o people with disabilities in developingcountries by investing in an accessible environment and by unding and promoting the use o accessibleproducts and services by the local communities. In countries experiencing post-confict and post-disastersituations, o which the results o ten are: contaminated water, malnutrition and lack o access to basichealth services, the number o people with severe disabilities will increase exponentially i accessibleemergency services are not provided. The enhancement o Free movement o people with disabilities indeveloping societies and ensuring that only accessible goods and services are purchased by the EU, willresult in the urther inclusion o people with disabilities and will strengthen the capacity o society aswhole, to oster economic, social and political development.

Mr Pekka Tuominen

EDF Treasurer, Chair o the Board o the FinnishDisability Forum (FDF)


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PERSONS WhO REQUIRE MORE INTENSIVE SUPPORT

Due to the lack o adequate inclusive support adapted to their speci c needs, persons with mental healthproblems and persons who require more intensive support, o ten have no access to the most undamentalrights and are there ore deprived o their reedom. Those persons still all too o ten have to spend their livesin institutions. Despite being EU citizens, Freedom o movement is only an illusion or them.

Ms Jose Van Remoorte

EDF Board member, Senior Policy Advisor,Mental Health Europe (MHE)

Ms Donata Vivanti

EDF Vice-president,Autism Europe Vice-president

EMPlOYMENT

Persons with disabilities experience numerous barriers to accessing the open labour market. Personswith intellectual and developmental disabilities and persons who require more intensive support areparticularly subject to many stereotypes regarding the assumed lack o competence or productivity. Whenit comes to the right to Free movement o workers meaning that you have the right to work in anotherEU country, - there are additional barriers to the equal treatment concerning access to employment andworking conditions or persons with disabilities. At EU level, there are programmes, e.g. Leonardo Da Vinci,and instruments, including EURES, to acilitate the mobility o workers and their amilies. However, theyshould be re ormed in a way as to be accessible or persons with disabilities.



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whaT does iT mean ? 6. Goods and Services

Usingpublic transportation

in my city is dangerous or a blindor visually impaired person. During the last

30 years more than 30 visually impaired peoplehave allen rom the plat orm onto the tracks, in thesubway. At least one man has died rom this incident

and numerous visually impaired people have beeninjured. I, mysel , have allen twice. Accessibility

and sa ety or all must be requirementsor providing a service.Marianna, 45, Slovakia

The stao the main services providers

should be su ciently trained on disabilityissues in order to avoid misunderstandings. For

instance, i the sta s working in the rontline o healthservices are not trained to ensure that persons who are

hard o hearing understand the health related questionsthey are asking, this could lead to wrong diagnosis and

misunderstandings concerning medication. Moreover, manyhospitals do not have a hearing loop installed, and do not

provide appropriate alternative meansor communication.Diego, 67, Portugal

I wentto the local administration to

change my ID card and the administratorin the o ce was very kind, spoke slowly and

clearly, and was patient and help ul when I lled outthe orm. She also supported me by accompanying me to

the photographer. The administrator had participatedin a disability awareness training, organized by

our national Down Syndrome Foundation.Adjordn, 17, Hungary

I recentlywanted to buy a technical

device adapted to my speci c needs inanother Member State. I did not do so in the endbecause i I had, I would not have been allowed to

bene t rom the compensation provided in my homecountry or the purchase o that device. I had to allback on a product o lesser quality which does not

completely meet my needs.Xevera, 23, Cyprus

Bad practice

Good practice

68.9% o Europeans wit disabi ities be ieve t at t ere arebarriers to Freedom o movement.


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One o the most important outcomes o the European Union is the creation o an interna market.The Internal market is de ned as an area without internal rontiers in which the ree movement o goods,persons, services and capital is ensured (Article 26 o the Lisbon Treaty).

As or goods, the provision o Free movement relies on the general prohibition o quantitativerestrictions on exports and imports between Member States or any measures that have an equivalente ect (c . Articles 34 and 35 o the Lisbon Treaty), subject to a ew precise exceptions. A wide range ogoods is covered by this, on the condition that they have an economic value.

As or services, the concept o Free movement implies that EU companies can reely establishthemselves in other Member States. This also applies to services, understood as provided or

remuneration, which can be provided on the territory o another EU Member State other than the onein which they are established (c . Article 49 o the Lisbon Treaty).

The EU institutions have adopted several speci c legislations in order to establish and complete thismarket.

As a means or achieving a Single Market that better includes persons with disabilities, the disabilitymovement calls or a legislation regulating the accessibi ity o mainstream goods and services. As shownby the various concrete examples throughout this Guide, persons with disabilities still have di cultiesaccessing ordinary products, under the same conditions as any other EU citizen, instead they requentlyhave to rely on adapted products, where choice is limited and the prices are higher. Besides the obviousbene ts or persons with disabilities, increasing the accessibility o goods and services will signi cantly

contribute to a better unctioning o the internal market.One should bear in mind the provision o the United Nations Convention on the Rights o Persons withDisabilities (UNCRPD) in this regard which requires that all parties to the Convention, including theEuropean Union, ensure accessibility.

Article 9 o the UNCRPD reads:

To enable persons with disabilities to live independently and participate ully in all aspects o li e,States Parties shall take appropriate measures to ensure to persons with disabilities access, on an equalbasis with others, to the physical environment, to transportation, to in ormation and communications,including in ormation and communications technologies and systems, and to other acilities and servicesopen or provided to the public, both in urban and in rural areas. These measures, which shall include the

identi cation and elimination o obstacles and barriers to accessibility, shall apply to, inter alia:a) Buildings, roads, transportation and other indoor and outdoor acilities, including schools, housing,

medical acilities and workplaces;

b) In ormation, communications and other services, including electronic services and emergency services.

According to the UNCRPD, accessibility there ore involves access or people with disabilities, on an equalbasis with others, alongside the identi cation and elimination o any obstacles and barriers.

To better understand the concept o accessibility it is also use ul to understand the concept oUniversaDesign. This term, according to the UNCRPD, means the design o products, environments, programmesand services to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need or adaptation

or specialized design. Universal Design shall not exclude assistive devices or particular groups o personswith disabilities where this is needed.

On the other hand, it is also important to know whatstandardisation is, as this process can acilitate therealisation o accessibility. Standards are technical speci cations that help to achieve the Single Market inthe EU, removing trade barriers or European industries and consumers.


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EDF believes that aEuropean Accessibi ity Act would be one o the most important tools through whichthe European Union could ul ll its obligation to ensure accessibility or persons with disabilities. Such anAct has to be strong, legally binding and ambitious in its scope. EDF wants this Act to take the orm o adirective, underpinned by European Standards or complementary legislation which address the detailedtechnical speci cations.

This Act should lead to common accessibility requirements across the EU, covering goods and services.The scope must be as broad as possible to ensure that persons with disabilities can participate in societyon equal terms with other citizens. It should include a clear and extensive de nition o accessibility.In addition to generic accessibility requirements, such an Act should also establish the requirement oaccessibility in speci c sectors, namely the built environment, transportation, in ormation, the Internet,

etc. For the areas where no relevant European standards have been adopted the generic and essentialrequirement to provide accessibility shall apply.

Finally, in addition to the accessibility requirements o mainstream products, there is a need or aEuropean market or assistive technologies and devices. Such assistive products must be compatible withmainstream counterparts in order to acilitate their usage, instead o creating additional barriers andurther exclusion. All new developments in assistive technology should strive towards acting upon thephilosophy o the UNCRPD, thus putting the speci c needs o the individual user in the centre.

6. Goods and Services


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W at t e o owing artic es are about

This part o the Freedom Guide gathers several testimonies rom actors in di erent elds, but all inavour o accessibility as a means to en orcing the right to Free movement or persons with disabilitiesand interested in developing a more inclusive market, promoting the circulation o accessible goods andservices. They illustrate that accessibility is instrumental in ensuring that persons with disabilities can ullyenjoy their undamental rights within the European Union. Moreover, they provide convincing argumentsthat accessibility is bene cial or the market itsel . Indeed, Pro essor Lisa Waddington, EDF Chair inEuropean Disability Law, Maastricht University (the Netherlands), lists and presents the many bene tsthat accessible goods and services will bring to the internal market(Accessib e goods and services andt e interna market ). The President o the European Committee or Standardization (CEN), Mr Juan CarlosLopez Ag, explains how standardisation can play a key role in achieving accessibility and a more inclusivemarket (Standardisation, a power u too or accessibi ity ).

Going beyond EU borders, the groundbreaking and success ul American experience in accessibilityis presented to us by the Executive Director o the U.S. Access Board in Washington, DC, Mr David M.Capozzi. This article is undeniably also a good source o inspiration (Fi ty years o American accessibi ityexperience ). Additionally, we will discover the enlightened vision o accessibility the Chairman o theInternal Market and Consumer Protection Committee, Malcom Harbour MEP has, as well as the European

Parliaments heartening support or a European Accessibility Act (A Sing e Market accessib e or a ).Finally, some promising examples o good practice linked to accessibility that can be ound in the industrysector are outlined, on the one hand by the Voda one Group Plc CEO, Mr Vittorio Colao (Creating a mobi eInternet or a ) and on the other hand, by representatives o the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), MsShawn Lawton Henry and Mr Shadi Abou-Zahra (T e ro e o standards in Web accessibi ity ). The lessonslearnt rom both articles is that binding standards introduced by a European Accessibility Act would notonly contribute to the realisation o an increased Free movement but also would also commit and engagethe private sector towards this goal, resulting in a better unctioning o the internal market.


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Accessib e goods and services andt e interna market

The availability o accessible goods and services is important or ensuring the economic and socialintegration o people with disabilities. Moreover, accessibility is a right that has been recognised in theUnited Nations Convention on the Rights o Persons with Disabilities, thereby underlining its importance.The Convention requires States Parties to take appropriate measures to ensure to persons with disabilitiesaccess, on an equal basis with others. However, accessibility is not only important or people withdisabilities and their riends and amilies, but also rom the point o view o achieving an internal marketor goods and services in the European Union. Moreover, there are signi cant economic bene ts to begained rom addressing accessibility within the ramework o the internal market. This article seeksto explain the importance o disability accessibility or the internal market, and the need to addressaccessibility in European legislation and policy.

The achievement o the internal market, in which there are no obstacles to the Free movement o goods,persons, services and capital, is a undamental objective o the European Union. Obstacles to the internalmarket can come rom many sources and, where such obstacles make Free movement more di cult, ordistort competition, the EU can intervene. One kind o obstacle to Free movement arises when MemberStates set national standards that must be met when goods and services are sold in that Member State.

For example, a Member State may require that a product is designed in a certain way or incorporatescertain eatures, is packaged in a particular way, that speci c goods or services meet certain qualitystandards, or that speci c in ormation be given to consumers about a good or service. These requirementsmust be met whenever a good or service is sold in that Member State, including by manu acturers orproviders that are based in other Member States. Now, imagine that each Member State has its own seto national rules that must be complied with that means that manu acturers and suppliers will have toadapt their goods and services according to the rules o each Member State, with up to 27 di erent sets orules to be met. That will be both highly expensive and challenging. Manu acturers and suppliers will ndit much more di cult to sell their goods and services throughout the EU, and consumers will be aced withless choice (as some suppliers withdraw rom the market) and higher prices. In this situation, it is easy to

Thelist o physical barriers

that still exist today is endless: stepseverywhere, lack o li ts or li ts requiring

keys to unction, inaccessible public transport,

not enough time or people with reduced mobil-ity at pedestrian crossings, impossible accessto goods on the top or bottom shelves in

supermarkets.Aneliya, 59, Bulgaria

Pro essor lisa Waddington

EDF Chair in European Disability Law, MaastrichtUniversity (the Netherlands)

Moreand more services are

carried out electronically usingmachines, especially basic transactions

such as getting some cash or buying traintickets. I am deprived o using them as these

machines are not accessible or visually impairedpeople, whereas it is only a question ostandardisation, incorporating Braille,

a touch screen or speech.Alexandru, 31, Romania

62.2% o Europeans wit disabi ities c aim t at existing barriers ave a readyprevented t em rom trave ing to anot er Member State.



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see that obstacles to the internal market exist. This is the case even i the di erent national rules pursuean important aim, such as the health and sa ety o consumers.

Such national rules and standards can also exist with regard to the accessibility requirements that mustbe met by goods and services. This (potential) diversity o rules and standards can create barriers to trade.In such a situation, there are signi cant economic bene ts, in terms o achieving the internal market, tobe gained by EU intervention. Where one set o standards exist, manu acturers know that i they meetthese common accessibility standards they can market their goods and services throughout the EU.Small markets (Member States), which were previously not attractive because a good or service had to beadapted be ore it was placed on that particular market, can now be entered easily. Where EU accessibilityrequirements also match requirements ound in other parts o the world, such as the US, where (public)

purchasers o ten require that goods and services are accessible, then EU manu acturers or service providerswill nd that they are able to sell their products much more easily in these markets as well.

In s ort, common EU-wide accessibi ity standards can e p bot peop e wit disabi ities, w o gaingreater access to accessib e goods and services, and industry, w ic fnds t eir market expand at noextra cost.

Benefts o an Accessibi ity Act

The European Union has the legal authority to adopt legislation to achieve the internal market. The legalbasis or such action is currently ound in Article 114 o the Treaty on the Functioning o the EuropeanUnion. This competence was ormerly ound in Article 95 o the EC Treaty. The European Union hasalready used this legal basis to adopt a number o legal instruments that include mandatory accessibilitystandards, which must be met by manu acturers o speci c goods throughout the EU. For example, onedirective requires the mandatory tting o certain accessibility eatures or persons with reduced mobilityand people with visual impairments in vehicles that carry more than eight passengers. Another directiverequires that li ts that are installed in the EU should be accessible to people with disabilities. Bothinstruments were adopted with a view to achieving the internal market.

Whilst the instruments mentioned in the previous paragraph are use ul tools in achieving accessibility,they address very particular areas. To date there is no EU-wide legislation addressing the accessibilityo goods and services in general. The potential barriers to achieving a Single Market with regard toaccessible goods and services there ore continue to exist. For this reason, it is not surprising that thecurrent European Disability Strategy speci ed that the Commission would consider proposing a European

Accessibility Act in 2012.


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Standardisation, a power u too or accessibi ity

The three European Standards Organizations (ESOs), the European Committee or Standardization(CEN), the European Committee or Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) and the EuropeanTelecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), provide a ramework to prepare standards that help todevelop the Single European Market or goods and services.

European Standards are dra ted in technical bodies by representatives o all relevant stakeholders,including manu acturers, users, research organisations, national authorities, consumers and non-governmental organisations. Participation in CEN and CENELEC activities is ensured through delegationsmade up o the CEN and CENELEC national member bodies. The development o a European Standard isgoverned by the principles o consensus, openness and transparency and its dra ting is per ormed by theexperts in the relevant eld.

Standards e p to improve t e qua ity o i e or a and also provide state-o -the-art solutions to thechallenges encountered by the elderly, or persons with disabilities. European standardisation is committedto ensure that each person in society has equal access to products and services which o ers a solutionto oster accessibility. A better inclusion o persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility isa major priority or Europe and beyond. Solutions are required rom industry to address the accessibilityneeds o a large number o people with disabilities who still experience barriers to accessibility today.Standards can make t e wor d accessib e or a . European Standards provide signi cant support orindustry to create products and services that allow the integration o people with special needs and assuch they are o universal bene t.

Mr Juan Car os lopez Ag

President o the the European Committeeor Standardization (CEN)

Theprices, descriptions and

warranties o goods are requentlywritten in a complicated way and the characters

are too small, which is particularly problematic or

persons with a visual impairment, concentrationdi culties or an intellectual disability.Teresa, 29, Spain WhenIm travelling outside my

native country, I cannot rely on the act thatsystems, like telephones, are accessible to the levelo what I am used to where I come rom. The lack o

standardisation orces me to accept very di erent levels oliving and being able to ul ll my needs across

di erent Member States.Nils, 44, Germany

Incase o emergency, my

partner can call 112 but I cant. I haveno access to this service as I need text

relay to ollow. What happens when I needan ambulance or my partner or or other

members o my amily?Zachary, 51, Malta

63.1% o interviewees do not be ieve t at persons wit disabi ities can enjoyFreedom o movement under t e same conditions as ot er European citizen.



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Standardisation can be a power ul tool to integrate and strengthen accessibility in all areas by setting thesame ramework around the world or accessible products, devices, services, environments and acilities.

Standards and t e princip e o Design or A

CEN and CENELEC have integrated accessibility in multiple sectors and published a series o relevantdocuments such as guidelines or standards developers to include the principle o Design or all inrelevant European Standards and to make in ormation accessible through sign language on the internet.Furthermore, CEN has developed European Standards or pharmaceutical packaging in Braille, as well as onaccessibility to li ts or persons with disabilities, to name a ew. CENELEC is reviewing its complete range

o sa ety standards on household appliances to align them to the new social climate that includes use bychildren and persons with disabilities. In response to a request rom the European Commission, the ESOsare currently developing a set o standardised accessibility requirements or public procurement in the ICTdomain. Further work is also being undertaken in relation to accessibility in the built environment and toinclude the principle o Design or All in relevant European Standards.

Accessibility is an important aspect o social inclusion. It is the responsibility o standardisation to helpacilitate access to products and services or society as a whole. By driving the development o Europeanand international standards, Europe can get a rst mover advantage and increase the competitivenesso its enterprises. A strong European Standardisation System is essential not only or enhancing Europescompetitiveness but also to enhance its growing potential market giving the demographic shi t in Europeand the correlation between disability and ageing. There is a clear demand or accessible products andservices and the opportunity to create new innovative accessible mainstream products.

To summarise, European Standards acilitate trade between countries, create new markets and cutcompliance costs. European Standards provide signi cant support or industry to create products andservices that allow or the integration o persons with disabilities.

Furt er in ormation, inc uding a broc ure on CEN-CENElEC, ETSI activities on Accessibi ity, is avai ab eon t e CEN and CENElEC websites:

www.cen.euwww.cene ec.eu


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Fi ty years o American accessibi ity experience

Mr David M. Capozzi

Executive Director o the U.S. Access Board inWashington, DC

The rst nationally recognized accessible design standard in the United States was the American NationalStandards Institute (ANSI) Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities (1961). These standards, which arevoluntary until adopted by a jurisdiction, did not begin to be adopted until the late 1960s and early 1970s.By 1966, at least 30 states had accessibility legislation and by 1973, every state except Kentucky had laws orat least public buildings; 10 States expanded coverage to privately unded buildings.

Current accessibi ity requirements in t e U.S.

Today, chapter 11 o the International Building Code (IBC) provides the scoping or accessibility and thenrelies on the re erenced technical standard rom 1980, ICC/ANSI A117.1, or the technical speci cations.Scoping are provisions that speci y which spaces and elements are required to be accessible and in whatpercentage. The IBC is in use or adopted in all 50 states and the District o Columbia.

The local code-en orcement process begins with an application or a permit to construct or remodela building. The code o cial is responsible or issuing permits and reviews construction drawings orcode compliance and does inspections during construction. I a de ciency exists or i the building or acomponent does not comply with code requirements, the o cial issues orders to correct the condition.These corrections must be completed and approved be ore the building may be occupied.

On the other hand, ederal accessibility requirements are generally en orced a ter a building has alreadybeen constructed; en orcement is by individual complaints or lawsuits. There are our national laws thatrequire accessibility o buildings and acilities. The Architectural Barriers Act (1968) applies to ederal

acilities designed, built, altered, or leased with ederal unds. The Rehabilitation Act (1973) applies toprograms or activities that receive ederal unds. The Fair Housing Act Amendments applies to multi amilydwellings and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, 1990) applies to State and local governmentacilities, places o public accommodation, commercial acilities, and transportation acilities. Stateand local government acilities include judicial, legislative, and regulatory acilities, detention andcorrectional acilities, residential housing, and public rights-o -way. Places o public accommodationinclude restaurants, hotels, theatres, doctors o ces, pharmacies, retail stores, museums, libraries, parks,private schools, and day care centers. There is no accessibility coverage under these ederal laws or privateresidences, private clubs, religious organizations, or places o worship.

Howinclusive the US museumsare! You are systematically

presented with a visual display osubtitled guides and videos.

Mathilde, 28, LuxemburgWhat

a heartening surprise Ihad during my trip to the US, I could

enter most restaurants, shops and publictransport independently!

Jiri, 75, Czech Republic



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1. The State University o New York at Bu alo conducted a study about the Estimated Cost o Accessible Buildings.

Accessibility is required in new construction and planned alterations and under the ADA, readilyachievable barrier removal is required in existing places o public accommodation. Readily achievablebarrier removal means easily accomplishable and able to be carried out without much di culty orexpense. Under both the Rehabilitation Act and the ADA (covering State and local government acilities),acilities are required to make their existing programs accessible. In some cases this can be done withoutresorting to construction, such as moving a classroom rom the second foor o a building without anelevator to the rst foor o the building.

T e Ro e and Work o t e U.S. Access Board

Most ederal accessibility requirements are developed by the U.S. Access Board. The Access Board is anindependent Federal agency devoted to accessibility or people with disabilities. Created in 1973 to ensureaccess to ederally unded acilities, the Board is now a leading source o in ormation on accessibledesign. The Board develops and maintains design criteria or the built environment, transit vehicles,telecommunications equipment, and or electronic and in ormation technology. The Boards authorityonly extends to the xed items and equipment o a acility. Other agencies have authority over non- xedor ree-standing equipment. Also, the Boards guidelines are not en orceable until adopted by a standardsetting agency.

The Boards most recent guidelines the Americans with Disabilities Act and Architectural BarriersAct accessibility guidelines (2004) covers State and local government acilities, places o publicaccommodation, commercial acilities, and transportation acilities. It also addresses childrensenvironments, play areas, and recreation acilities. Guidelines under development include: outdoordeveloped areas; passenger vessels; public rights-o -way; transportation vehicles (update); in ormationand communications technology (update); sel -service transaction machines; emergency transportablehousing; medical diagnostic equipment; shared use paths; and classroom acoustics.

lessons rom t e American accessibi ity experience

In the 50 years since the rst nationally recognized accessible design standard in the United States wasdeveloped, we have learned that in new construction, accessibility eatures are generally easier and lesscostly to implement than when renovating a structure.

Studies ave s own t at designing bui dings or accessibi ity rom t e beginning adds ess t an 1% to

t e tota construction cost o a new aci ity. T is is a sma price in re ation to t e economic benefts tobe derived rom u accessibi ity in t e uture, suc as increased emp oyment and consumer spendingand decreased we are dependency.

One study rom 1979 developed a detailed cost data on the impact o the ANSI A117.1 1980 standards1. Thecost increases ranged rom 0.01% o building cost or a shopping centre to 0.93% or garden apartmentswhere accessibility did not require the addition o an elevator. The study concluded that bene ts arealmost always much higher than costs.

With the exception o a ew elements such as grab bars at toilets, accessible parking signs or audiblealarms, accessibility does not generally add eatures; it simply requires that eatures commonly providedhave certain characteristics. Some o the characteristics add only marginally to the cost. In addition,accessibility adds little or no space to buildings.

T e very ow cost o making new bui dings accessib e

The costs o alterations to make existing buildings accessible vary widely, depending on the age and typeo building, the extent o architectural and communication barriers present and other actors such asregion or area o the country. Generally, renovations to make buildings accessible are estimated to varybetween 1% and 3% o construction costs o an extensive renovation or o a building value.

In the United States, the ederal government provides two tax incentives or businesses. All businesses,


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regardless o size, that need to remove barriers may use section 190 o the Internal Revenue Code, whichallows a tax deduction o up to $15,000 each year or the removal o existing barriers. And, Internal RevenueCode Section 44 allows a small business to elect a non-re undable tax credit, up to $5,000 or a taxable year $5,000, to make their business accessible.

T e burden o inaccessib e bui dings

Inaccessible buildings compromise the ability o persons with disabilities to unction independently andto participate ully in society. In order to exercise the rights o citizenship or to secure services o ered bygovernment or the private sector, access to the built environment is essential. Environmental barriers

impede mobility on streets, in getting in and out o buildings, in obtaining in ormation in accessibleormats, and in using transportation. Removal o these barriers opens opportunities to education andemployment and enables people with disabilities to live more independently.

Every time a person is prevented rom using t e environment to is or er u potentia , societyincurs a cost.

The late Justin Dart, Jr. said it best when he stated:

t e economic cost o exc uding two-t irds o Americans wit disabi ities rom t e mainstream isabout $200 bi ion annua y, in pub ic and private payments - $300 bi ion w en you inc ude ost taxesand ost productivity. Our irresponsib e status quo, t e ai ure to invest in t e empowerment o peop eto be productive is t e cause o economic prob ems in ric nations and poor a ike. humanity is osingundreds o bi ions o do ars by keeping uman beings iso ated rom t e productive mainstream ocu ture.



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A Sing e Market - accessib e or a

Thebuttons in the elevators

are o ten placed in di erent orders.Be ore you nd the button or the foor to

which you want to go, you might have pressedthe emergency signal and or the stop button.

This could be solved either by standardisationor by labelling the buttons in Braille.Blenda, 38, Sweden

I havean intellectual disability. I

o ten get con used by the di erent signsI see during my trips. It is a necessity or me

to have signs that are easy to understand andstandardised at the European level.

John, 20, UK

Mr Ma com harbour

Chairman o the Internal Market andConsumer Protection CommitteeMEP (ECR, UK)

The European Single Market has brought tremendous bene ts to the citizens o Europe, whilst opening upnew opportunities or expansion or more than 21 million EU businesses. It has become the much neededgrowth engine within the European economy.

T e Work o t e Interna Market and Consumer Protection Committee

The Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO) ocuses its e orts on delivering the ullpotential, and addressing the shortcomings o the Single Market or all citizens - including persons with

disabilities. Developing the Digital dimension o the Single Market, in particular, will be the key to enableall citizens to participate in the internal market.

A major political programme to re-energise the Single Market was adopted in May 2011. The Single MarketAct Twelve levers to boost growth and strengthen con dence is a political, as well as a legislativeprogramme between EU institutions and member governments. Emphasising its political dimensionis crucial as many issues cannot be solved at EU level. Initiatives by enterprises, civil society, consumerorganisations, local and regional governments are all critical to delivering the entitlements that citizensin a Single Market demand. The recent Commission publication on the Top 20 Concerns o Citizens in

Do you know about the rights to Freedom o movementin the EU ?

20,6% - Absolutely not17,7% - Rather not14,4% - Almost true37,3% - Yes10% - I dont know


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the Single Market highlighted the interconnected nature o the Single Market o er. For citizens withdisabilities, the Internal Market Committee will work to ensure that they can bene t rom that o er -the ability to live, work and establish an enterprise anywhere in the EU.

Where appropriate, special measures must be adopted to ensure that the entitlement o citizens withdisabilities are delivered. For example, the Committee introduced, into the electronic communicationpackage, speci c requirements to en orce accessibility or disabled users.

It is crucia t at new tec no ogies improving access continue to be deve oped, and t ese provisionsprovide a c ear incentive or innovation.

With the Commissions planned modernisation o public procurement, we will also encourage the take

up o pre-commercial procurement to develop innovative technical solutions to give back employmentpossibilities to entirely capable and quali ed persons with disabilities.

T e prob ematic ack o awareness

We are concerned that, while the Single Market is one o the EUs main achievements, there is a perceptiongap between peoples everyday experiences. Citizens have very little knowledge about their entitlementsand low expectations o the bene ts, which undermines their con dence in EU policymakers.

This lack o awareness is especially evident or consumers. They remain reluctant to shop online, acrossborders as they believe that the en orcements o their rights and the possibility o redress or any problems

are uncertain. Also, they o ten nd that Web retailers in other EU countries will not deliver to their address.When EU citizens spend holidays in another Member State, they also encounter high mobile telephoneroaming charges, and consumer issues with services (such as rental cars) which are di cult to resolve ontheir return home). EU citizens with disabilities o ten ace additional access obstacles, where EU Standardshave not been ully implemented. The European Parliament is currently examining actions that couldimprove this unsatis actory situation.

We need to communicate Single Market entitlements much better. There is no lack o EU supportedprogrammes but they need to be better promoted. The Your Europe Web portal should become anon-stop-shop in ormation point on rights o citizens and businesses in the EU. We should have specialin ormation or disabled citizens as part o this re orm.

T e Sing e Market Act is a partners ip or growt , wit great promise or a citizens. But t at promisemust be tru y accessib e to a .

Policy-makers need to ensure that the actions taken to improve its unctions must bring added value topeople with disabilities.



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W at is t e European Par iaments position about Freedom o movement and Accessibi ity?

On 25 October 2011, the European Parliament adopted a Resolution on mobility and inclusion opeople with disabilities and the European Disability Strategy 2010-2020.

It ca s on t e European Commission to present a egis ative proposa or a EuropeanAccessibi ity Act as announced in t e Commission Disabi ity Strategy, stressing t e need orstrong, binding measures at EU eve to improve t e accessibi ity o goods and services orpeop e wit disabi ities, wit a c ear roadmap.

This resolution calls or a barrier- ree environment and barrier- ree services. It recognisesthat inaccessible goods and services represent signi cant obstacles to persons with disabilities.Additionally, it highlights several areas where accessibility and/or equal access urgently need tobe promoted, including:

transportation

in ormation, including public in ormation, health and health care

communication technologies including Web, smart phone applications

built-environment, or instance workplaces, home, cultural in rastructures

services, such as online services, health services, media services

It also speci es that Design or All and Universal Design should be ully respected.


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Creating a mobi e Internet or a

Mr Vittorio Co ao

CEO, Voda one Group Plc

45 million Voda one customers across Europe are using the mobile Internet and bene ting rom servicesas diverse as keeping a tness schedule, checking train times or managing a bank account, whenever andwherever they want.

However, at Voda one we dont see the mobile Internet as being the privilege o the technorati.We believe that the real power o the smartphone lies in its ability to trans orm lives, not in its processor,and we are committed to tackling barriers o cost, geography and access to take the bene ts othe mobile Internet to all.

In 2009, Voda one commissioned research to identi y the size o the market segment o users whorequired minor adaptations to use their mobile phone and those who need a specialist handset or services.We ound that across 19 markets with a total population o 1.76 billion approximately 136 million peopleexperience a moderate or minor disability or impairment, some 11% o the population.

These basic needs are starting to be addressed. The rst wave o innovation in mobile telecommunicationservices opened up new ways to communicate or persons who are dea and/or hard o hearing - via textand mobile email - and to persons with reduced unctions in arms and hands, through voice-activateddialing and speakerphone unctions. We are now seeing a second wave o innovation as smartphoneplat orms enable low-cost and widespread distribution o services which acilitate ree movement,such as maps or people with reduced mobility which can show the optimal travel routes, either on oot oron public transport, tailored video calling services or hearing-impaired customers and so on.

As part o our drive to make the mobile Internet ully inclusive, we are very proud to have partneredwith the European Disability Forum (EDF), and with AGE Plat orm Europe to run the EU-wide Voda oneFoundation Smart Accessibility Awards, a competition to create mobile applications speci cally targetedat older people and persons with disabilities.

The EDF and the Voda one Developer team have worked together to de ne requirements and usersneeds and to engage the mobile application developer community. We have seen great enthusiasm romdevelopers to work in this space who see a great opportunity to widen the reach o their services.

Notall smartphones have

incorporated inductive loop receivers,which sometimes makes a choice over the

best equipment nearly impossible. On top o

that, you dont get the chance to try theequipment be ore buying it.Anton, 40, Slovenia

Themanual about activating

Internet on my phone came in a pddocument. The document was readable but the

settings to be entered where shown in a screenshotand not repeated in the text. So the manual

turned out to be completely useless. Jolle, 53, Belgium



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We wi continue our e orts to de iver a mobi e Internet or a , and we wi work wit governmentbodies, NGOs and corporations to make it a rea ity.

I am con dent that together we will overcome the barriers to the Freedom o movement oall European citizens.


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T e ro e o standards in Web accessibi ity

Ms S awn lawton henry

W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)Outreach Coordinator

Mr S adi Abou-Za ra

W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)International Program O fce Activity Lead

Web accessibi ity is essentia or inc usion

The Web provides unprecedented access to in ormation and interaction or people with disabilities. Itenables more e ective and e cient access in some cases, where there was essentially no access be ore.It o ers new opportunities or communication and participation throughout society via voice, video,text, mobile; rom home, rom work, rom anywhere. Thus, the impact o disability is radically changed

on the Web because the Web removes many o the interaction and communication barriers present in thephysical world.

Web accessibility is about making the Web usable by people with disabilities. It addresses Websites, Webapplications, tools or creating Web content, and tools or using the Web. It addresses the requirements ousers with di erent auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical, speech, and visual disabilities. For example,making Web products work with only a keyboard (not requiring a mouse) helps people with physicalimpairments who use speech recognition or input, or people who are blind and use a screen reader, andolder people who cannot use a mouse because o a tremor. Web accessibility impacts us all, and it willimpact us even more as we age.

I aminterested in technology and

there is a Web magazine that I try to ollowevery day, but it is so di cult to read because ofashes and commercials that interrupt the text

so it is hard or me to concentrate.Annaliese, 16, AustriaThe

government has started tohave open online seminars on topics

that interest me, but there is no sign languageinterpretation2 or even subtitling, so I cannot

participate or even understand whatis being said.

Carlota, 33, Spain

The useo Internet is restrictive

as the majority o the Websites donot include an easy-to- read version.

Frederik, 22, Denmark

2. For more in ormation about sign language interpretation abroad, download the latest publication o theEuropean Forum o Sign Language Interpreters: www.e sli.org/whitedragon/documents/ le/R1101.pd



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Standards are crucia or Web accessibi ity

Standards play a key role in Web accessibility or people with disabilities. They provide a clear benchmarkor accessibility and they help developers know how to make their products accessible.Accessibi itystandards are most e ective w en t ey address cross-disabi ity requirements and w en t ey areinternationa y armonised.

International standards provide a uni ed de nition or making Websites and Web tools accessible. Forbusinesses, governments, and organisations, international standards provide a single set o requirementsthat apply across borders, along with worldwide support, tools, and expertise. For regulators, internationalstandards provide a consistent target or policies. For disability advocates, international standards provide

a power ul tool or promoting Web accessibility locally and worldwide.

W3C WAI provides open, internationa standards

The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) brings together people rom industry, disability organisations,education, government, research, and others interested in accessibility to develop international standards.Individuals and organisations rom around the world collaborate through the World Wide Web Consortium(W3C) Process designed to develop consensus and ensure broad community participation.

W3C WAIs open, royalty- ree accessibility guidelines are the widely-regarded international standardor Web accessibility. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) addresses Web content, which are

Websites and Web applications. Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) addresses authoring tools,such as content management systems (CMS) and blog so tware. User Agent Accessibility Guidelines(UAAG) addresses Web browsers and other tools used to access the Web. Along with these WAI standards isa wide range o knowledge, tools, and supporting material, some o which is already available in multiplelanguages.

Harmonised adoption o the WAI standards will accelerate Web accessibility throughout Europe and theworld, which is essential to enable people with disabilities to participate equally in the in ormation society.


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7. Persons

whaT does iT mean?

I ama single mother o a child

with Retts syndrome. I have moved toanother Member State where I would like to buy a

house. However, I cannot bene t rom the social creditsystem because the local authorities do not recognise

the national o cial document recognising thedisability o my child.Madeleine, 41, France

Due to my chronic illness,in theory, I am entitled to a disability

allowance during the course o my internship at theEuropean Commission. It turned out to be very di cult

or me to obtain the money. The procedure was not clear andmy disability status o cially recognised as such in my homecountry was not accepted. It was only a ter several attempts

(sending many documents, and making many calls, etc.)that my speci c needs were recognised. I was paid

this allowance once my internship was over.Anastazya, 21, Poland

One omy clients was recently re used

permission to reside, as her husband did, inanother Member State, because she was in receipto a disability allowance. There is a clear hindrance

to Free movement o my applicant.Connor, 50, Ireland

For

people who have di cultiescommunicating and interacting socially, o tenexperienced by those on the autism spectrum, it is

di cult to travel, especially abroad. The security checks atairports or borders are troublesome because o our di culty withlooking into peoples eyes. Plus, our appearance and behaviour, orour sensory hypersensitivity may even be suspicious or security

sta . As a result we are o ten subject to more stringentcontrols, thereby increasing our stress levels and the

di culties we encounter.Adrianus, 68, the Netherlands

Bad practice

Good practice

78% o Europeans wit disabi ities t ink t at t ey wou d make more use o t eirrig ts to Freedom o movement, i t ere were no barriers.


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The Free movement or persons corresponds to the right or all EU citizens to study, work, establishthemselves and travel or live in another Member State (c . Articles 45 and similar o the Lisbon Treaty). It isbased on a general principal, extracted rom article 21 o the Lisbon Treaty, onon-discrimination on thebasis o nationality; which supposes anequa ity o treatment between EU citizens.

This Freedom raises many practical questions such as: What is the status o amily members o EUnationals exercising his/her Freedom? What social security scheme applies in the host Member State?What about the recognition o diplomas? EU legislation has already tackled some o these concerns.Nevertheless, or persons with disabilities, there are a number o issues (mainly linked to the portability oentitlements) that still need to be resolved be ore they can ully bene t rom this important right.

The disability movement demands urther action towards acilitating the mobility o persons withdisabilities. One concrete proposal by EDF3 is the adoption o aEuropean Mobi ity Card. Such a card couldpermit EU nationals with disabilities, visiting another EU Member State, to receive the same services andbene ts provided by this State.

However, a number o additional, but important issues also need to be tackled through improvedcooperation and commitment o EU Member States, such as the trans erability o the right to personalassistance, sign language interpretation and social security, when persons with disabilities take up a jobabroad, or simply visit another country.

On the other hand, many EU programs and instruments were created with the intention o ostering themobility o EU nationals. Among them there are the Erasmus programme, to acilitate mobility o studentsand the Leonardo Da Vinci and Grundtvig programmes, unding internships or young people, encouragingtheir mobility and li e-long learning schemes or adults. Additionally, the European Voluntary Serviceaddresses the mobility o young workers and volunteers. The EURES portal also unctions as an e cientplat orm to promote the mobility o workers. These opportunities must be reshaped in order to enablepersons with disabilities access to them. This requires accessible in ormation and application processes,speci c support services to persons with disabilities be ore and during the programmes and additionalnancial resources included in the scholarships and grants to cover the disability-related extra costs. It isthere ore absolutely necessary to dedicate substantial unding and ensure political will to realise this aim.

Finally, unless more general non-discrimination legislation is adopted at European level, covering all areaso li e, Freedom o movement will never become a reality or persons with disabilities in practice. Thereare still too many aspects that need to be considered be ore a person can decide to make use o his or herright to Freedom o movement and discover another country, whether this is to work, study or or leisureactivities.

3. C . Position paper o EDF Proposal or a European Mobility Card: www.ed - eph.org


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W at t e o owing artic es are about

The European Ombudsman, Mr P. Niki oros Diamandouros, opens this second part o the Freedom Guideby reporting on his achievements in sa eguarding the rights o persons with disabilities within the EU. Hisarticle highlights how his decisions and actions indirectly contribute towards enabling the Free movemento persons with disabilities. A relevant example is his call or enhancing the accessibility o EU schools asthe suggested improvements would impact positively on, not only on the right to inclusive education opupils with disabilities, but also on the right to Free movement or parents o a child with disabilities, whomight otherwise ace di culties in taking up a job abroad (T e European Ombudsman: e ping to up o dt e rig ts o persons wit disabi ities ).Furthermore, the assessment provided by Mr John Evans, EDF Board member, Advisory Board member othe European Network on Independent Living (ENIL), indicates the long road ahead towards the enjoymento the right to Free movement or persons with disabilities under the same conditions as any other EUcitizen. He also identi es urther, additional priorities desperately needed to be taken account o , suchas the portability o disability bene ts (W ere is t e Europe or t e peop e? ). Fortunately, despite thechallenging situation or persons with disabilities, some did not have to give up their rights, as shownin the very interesting Erasmus experience o Luigi, a student with Down Syndrome (Studying wit outborders ). Bringing voices rom the industry to the debate, such as that o the Austrian railways companyBB, demonstrates the bene ts to be had o tools such as a European Mobility Card or passengers withdisabilities and transport operators alike (Towards a European mobi ity card ). Finally, Mr Ivor Ambrose,Managing Director o the European Network or Accessible Tourism argues that the private sector ismissing out on a business opportunity by excluding persons with disabilities, thus considering accessibletourism as a business case (lets make Europe a tourism destination or a ).

7. Persons


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T e European Ombudsman: e ping to up o dt e rig ts o persons wit disabi ities

We,persons with disabilities, do

not have the same access to in ormationas other EU citizens, not even to in ormation

coming rom public services.

Eliisabet, 39, Estonia

I didnot take up a great job

opportunity in another Member State asthe school did not agree to accommodate or

the speci c needs o my son.Antti, 45, Finland

Mr P. Niki oros Diamandouros

The European Ombudsman deals with complaints about maladministration in the activities o theinstitutions, bodies, o ces and agencies o the Union. Among the issues that have been brought to theOmbudsmans attention, since my O ce started work in 1995 is the ailure o the EU administration toensure ull respect or the rights o persons with disabilities.

Over the years, the Ombudsman has completed a range o inquiries in this area: rom the accessibility o

the institutions buildings to special measures taken in order to acilitate the participation o persons withdisabilities in selection procedures organised by the European Personnel Selection O ce (EPSO).

O particular interest is the own-initiative inquiry I carried out into the integration o persons withdisabilities by the European Commission. On the basis o my review, I concluded that the Commission hadmade a genuine e ort to integrate persons with disabilities, even i certain aspects o its policy did notappear to have met public expectations. Among the areas in which I acknowledged that progress had beenmade were: i) the employment o persons with disabilities (in terms o non-discrimination and reasonableaccommodation); ii) accessibility o in ormation on the Commissions website; and iii) e orts to make theCommissions services more attuned to the di culties encountered by persons with disabilities. I urtherpointed out that action was still needed in other areas including: i) lack o transparency relating to themeasures adopted to promote the recruitment o persons with disabilities; ii) insu cient accessibility toCommission in ormation, including on its website, or certain disabled persons, and iii) the situation opupils with disabilities in the European Schools.T ese issues are c ear y re evant to t e question o Freedom o movement: a parent, or examp e, may beess ike y to make use o is/ er rig t to Freedom o movement i s/ e ee s t at is/ er c i d wi notave access to t e appropriate educationa aci ities.

More recently, in response to a complaint rom a participant in Parliaments Pilot traineeship programmeor persons with disabilities, I called on the institution to improve its per ormance in the uture. It isworth quoting in ull the recommendation I made in this case, as it is o relevance to the entire EUadministration. Speci cally, I stated that, [a]s well as taking action to ensure that disabled people are not

European Parliament


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denied opportunities by reason o their disability, Parliament and the other EU institutions should alsobe conscious o the need to respect their dignity. This includes avoiding the impression that employmentand analogous opportunities, such as traineeships, have been o ered to a disabled person only because odisability and not because o his or her merits and quali cations. Failure to act in this way could seriouslydamage the public image o the European Union.

Following my re-election in January 2010, I adopted a strategy or my new mandate which aims to helpthe Union deliver on the promises made to citizens in the Treaty o Lisbon. The strategy also takes accounto the, now legally binding, Charter o Fundamental Rights and o its Articles 21 on non-discrimination and26 on the integration o persons with disabilities. These provisions shall continue to serve as the basis onwhich I shall continue to hold the EU administration to account with respect to the rights o persons withdisabilities.

Comp aints to t e European Ombudsman can be odged by mai , ax or emai . T e Ombudsman asworked ard to ensure t at t e e ectronic comp aint orm on is website is as accessib e as possib e.

www.ombudsman.europa.eu

7. Persons


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W ere is t e Europe or t e peop e ?

MyFreedom o movement is subject

to considerations related to personal assistance.This means that when travelling, I have to pay or his/her

expenditures such as fight tickets, hotel accommodation and

expenses such as ood and beverages. This is a heavy nancial burden.Special arrangements are mostly restricted to nationals and mainly ona temporary basis. Subject to these conditions, taking up a job

in another Member State remains an illusion or me.Alexio, 32, Greece

I wouldhave been very interested in

leaving my country and moving abroad butsocial protection measures in other EU countries are,

in general, not available or oreign citizens. I think thatthese measures should be harmonised in order to

ensure equal opportunities or all.Monica, 34, Italy

Mr Jo n Evans

EDF Board member, Advisory Board member o the EuropeanNetwork on Independent Living (ENIL)

We are told we live in a Europe or the people, Free to move rom country to country, but this is not trueor the millions o persons with disabilities, living in Europe, who remain trapped in their own countries.

Disabled people remain invisible compared to their nondisabled compatriots who have the Freedom tomove around Europe to work, study or travel and to access social security systems i necessary in whatevercountry o their choosing whenever they want!

Where is the equality o opportunity and harmonisation to enable disabled people this Freedom omovement and expression to make the li e decisions, choices and chances to create new opportunities?

This is blatant discrimination that I, as a disabled person, am denied the choice to accept a job positionin another country because I would not be allowed to take my personal assistance package o supportwith me, which is essential in order or me to live and work in another country. Exportability o personal

assistance, as well as other bene ts and support must there ore be made possible, and Member Statesmust cooperate to nd sustainable solutions to these barriers. My li e and work requires the support opersonal assistants to support me in all my daily living tasks and duties because o my severe impairment.Persons with disabilities who are success ul in getting a job in another Member State are all too o tenobliged to decline the o er due to these practical barriers.

Freedom o movement is t ere ore on y a t eory or us, not a rea ity.

We want to have the same reedom, to be able to live and work in another country o our choosing, as anyother EU citizen has. We want to overcome this social exclusion and discrimination that inhibits us romdoing this. This does not give a positive message or social inclusion.


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This restriction and the lack o Freedom o movement to live and work in another EU Member State is aviolation o my rights and contradicts the UN Convention which provides or the protection and promotiono disabled peoples rights.

I, as do other disabled people, want to be able to enjoy the reedom o liberty to live and move to where wewant. This situation must change.

One o the most extreme barriers towards bene ting rom Freedom o movement is theinstitutionalisation o disabled people. The European Union needs to continue to promote thedevelopment o universal, community-based services to achieve de-institutionalisation across Europebe ore 2020, through the stipulation o independent living in the EU budget and Structural Funds and withthe ear-marking o unding or independent living. No unding should go into the support o traditionalor institutional orms o living or disabled people. I unding is spent in such a way, sanctions must beapplied.

European Member States and the European Commission should ully implement the UN Convention toensure that the rights o Free movement or persons with disabilities can be ully realised.

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Studying wit out borders

As adea person, studying abroad

is nearly impossible, since sign languageinterpretation is o ten only provided when studyingin your home country (i that). The big di erences

between Member States concerning the provision andnancing o sign language interpretation3 needs to be harmonised.

Daina, 20, Latvia

I hadthe pleasure o doing an

Erasmus year. However, due to the lacko portability o personal assistance, my mothercame to stay with me or the whole semester.

Although I was lucky to have her, this is clearly a barrier

to the Free movement o students and means thatmany students with disabilities will not be ableto study abroad at all.

Abdel, 24, Denmark

4. For more in ormation about sign language interpretation abroad, download the latest publication o the European Forum o Sign

Language Interpreters: www.e sli.org/whitedragon/documents/ le/R1101.pd

Going abroad or a period o time is not always easy or young people, especially i it is the rst time away

rom their amiliar environments. It is even more di cult in the case o young people with disabilities, asthey ace inaccessible environments and disability-related stereotypes.

It is obvious that Europe needs to drastically improve the supports o ered to young persons withdisabilities. Although some interesting programmes already try to improve the situation (i.e.Exchangeability), according to the data rom the European Commission, the Erasmus Program participationrate is very low when it comes to its take up by students with special needs (only 0.17% in 2008-2009).

Film maker, Susana Pilgrim, ollowed the rst student, with intellectual disabilities that studied abroadwithin the Erasmus programme. The documentary Ci Provo Try I wi shows that with the help o the rightsupport network every student can do an Erasmus year.

Twenty-three-year-old Italian Luigi Fantinelli studies at a university in Bologna, Italy and applies or a

one year placement in Murcia, Spain within the ramework o the Socrates Erasmus programme. O themore than two million students that have already participated in this programme, he is the very rstexchange student with Down Syndrome. This determined young mans only dream is to obtain a universityeducation like any other student. Two academics involved with disability issues rom Bologna and MurciaUniversity supported Luigi and helped to make this experience a success.


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Questions to Pro essor Nicola Cuomo, Head o Special Education, University oBologna, Italy

Is Freedom o movement or persons wit disabi ities a rea ity orstudents wit disabi ities?

In theory everyone is in avor o the mobility o students with disabilities,but in practice there are no concrete projects and resources available or

universities. The EU needs to create the opportunities to promote andensure their inclusion. The support Nuria Illan Romeu rom the Universityo Murcia and I provided to make Luigis Erasmus year possible, proved tobe really e ective.

According to you, w at are t e main obstac es preventing students witdisabi ities rom doing an Erasmus year?

The biggest obstacles are not the students or the language but the lack osupport o ered to universities and teachers.

Questions to Pro essor Nuria Illan Romeu, Doctor o Education at University oMurcia, Spain

W at are t e main essons to be earnt rom luigis experience?

T e most important esson we a earnt is t at wit t e adequate supportrom t e universities coordinators, an Erasmus exc ange can be a reasuccess or persons wit specia needs:i every student is granted the same opportunity to study abroad, then thatincludes students with Down Syndrome.

According to you, w at are t e main obstac es preventing students witdisabi ities rom doing an Erasmus year?

I students with special needs do not receive adequate support romboth sender and host universities and there is only minimal coordinationbetween the two, it will be extremely unlikely that the student willsuccess ully nish their Erasmus year. To increase the likelihood osuccess, setting up a network among the teachers, with an experience inintegration, rom the di erent European universities involved, is essential.Equally important here, is that this network is recognised and supportedwith the appropriate unds.

We asked the main protagonists o the project about this intense experience:7. Persons


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Questions to Luigi Fantinelli, Erasmus student

Were t ere any barriers or you during your Erasmus year in Spain?

The opportunity barriers, such as the language.

W at were t e benefts o t is experience or you?

The opportunity to learn a new language, to meet new people and makenew riends. Its also an experience that made me much more independent.

W at advice wou d you give to persons in a simi ar situation as you?

Just do it!

documentary lm bySusana Pilgrim

Nicola CuomoLuigi FantinelliSusanna Carotta

COMUNEDIBOLOGNA

COMUNEDIFAENZA

Directed& Producedby SusanaPilgrim - Camera: Thomas Woitalla, SusanaPilgrim - Edition: SusanaPilgrim -Postproduction: StefanoBarnaba- Technical and graphicalsupport: Thomas Woitalla- Production Supervisor: ElenaDe Rivo- Production Counsulting: BernHub atschek

With: Luigi Fantinelli, SusannaC arotta, Alessandra Brandano, VirginiaPassalacqua, ElisaBonaiuti, Elisa Sormani, EmmanuellaNuzzolese, MarcoFerraro - Interviews:Mother, VandaCattani; Aunt, GiuliaCattani; Father, DanieleFantinelli -Educationist: GraziaMinelli -PresidentFUNDOWN : PedroOtnHern ndez- Mediator: JunJ. VelazcoLpez- University of Bologna: Prof. NicolaCuomo-Dipl. SusannaCarotta-Dipl. AliceImola-Prof. StefaniaLorenzini - University ofMurcia: Prof. NuriaIllnRomeu-Prof.Jess MolinaSaorn -Music by EnsambleCircular -www.ensamblecircular.com - LiveMusic enal Credits Song: Pop: LoStatoSociale -lostatosociale@g mail.com

- SongLo intento (Murcia): JuanitoMakand -www.makan de.com - Translation: HelenDo yle, SusanaP ilgrim

OHNESTATIVproduktionen 2010

Original Music byENSAMBLE CIRCULAR

More in ormation:The documentary Ci Provo (Try I will): ttp://o nestativ.wordpress.com/category/try-i-wiExchangeability: www.exc angeabi ity.euInternational exchange Erasmus student network: www.esn.orgNetwork o Universities rom the Capital o Europe: www.unica-network.eu

Pro essor Nico a Cuomo, Pro essor Nuria I an Romeu and Mr luigi Fantine i, were interviewed in October

2011 by Mr Aur ien Dayd, EDF Communication O fcer wit t e support o Ms Simona Giarratano


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Towards a European mobi ity card

Acolleague o mine rom another

Member State visited me, we are bothdisabled. I elt so uncom ortable when I was

charged less or public transport and entrance to

museums than my colleague.Amalija, 41, Lithuania

Shopmobility is a UK service that

helps all people who consider themselves tohave mobility problems (either because o disability,

illness or injury) to continue to get around city and towncentres independently. To enjoy this service, you do not have

to be registered as disabled, have a blue badge, or be inreceipt o disability bene ts. It is available also or

non-UK citizens and visitors.gota, 66, Hungary

Mr C ristian Sc warz

Responsible or barrier- ree travelling withinCustomer service o BB Personenverkehr AG

One o the main goals o the Austrian Federal Railways (BB) is to acilitate travelling by train and/or bus

or all customers. More than one million people in Austria are either temporarily or permanently disabledregarding their mobility. There ore, BB has been investing in accessibility or some time already.

Another way to acilitate the use o public transport, or persons with disabilities, is the VORTEILScardSpezial. This card entitles travellers to concessionary ares on BB trains and buses and costs EUR 19.90per year. There is no requirement or a photo. However, potential customers have to prove their status, byshowing an identity card that con rms their degree o disability to be at least 70 %.

The VORTEILScard Spezial is also available to non-Austrian citizens. The eligible degree o disability (atleast 70 %) has to be evidenced by a valid ID, equivalent to the Austrian disability card. The price is thesame as or Austrian citizens. However, take-up has been minimal (out o over 37,000 cards issued in 2010,only 240 went to non-Austrian citizens).

One reason or this is recognition. BBs ront line sta s need to be able to recognise an eligible degreeo disability be ore issuing a VORTEILScard Spezial. They must rely on documents presented. Germantravellers carry disability cards written in the same language, however, even though travellers rom (e.g.)Italy, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic may carry valid documents, it will be in a language thatthe rontline sta will probably not be able to read.

Here, a European Mobility Card would simpli y the issuing o the VORTEILScard Spezial, both or therailway undertaking (e.g. sta training) and or the traveller, which could lead to much higher levelso take-up.

On y 14.8% o interviewees wit disabi ities rea y ee com ortab e using pub ictransport w en in anot er Member State.

7. Persons


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T is kind o card wou d be a great support or persons wit disabi ities w en making use o t eir rig t toFreedom o movement in t e European Union.

The Austrian Federal Railways (BB) provides an overall mobility package which includes clean, sa e andsustainable transport or passengers and reight. The BB group employs approximately 44,000 sta andgenerated revenues o about 6.1 billion EUR in 2010. There ore, the Austrian Federal Railways are consideredas an important economic player and one o the biggest employers in Austria. In 2010, the BB groupcarried 460 million passengers and handled 132.9 million tons o cargo.


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Freedom o movement includes the possibility or every disabled person to be a tourist! It is all too clear,to disabled travellers, that the vast majority o tourism destinations and venues in Europe are simply notaccessible. Travel is made di cult or even impossible rstly, by a lack o in ormation about accessibilityand by the many barriers in transport, in the physical environment, at hotels and in attractions andservices.

In general, the larger part o the European tourism industry is not amiliar with the needs o customerswho make up the accessible tourism market. The needs and requirements o visitors who need goodaccess are generally unknown or misunderstood; accordingly investment costs are exaggerated. And witha dominating ocus on compliance with laws and regulations, access is seen mainly as a problem orbusinesses, rather than a golden opportunity. This is a communication issue and a cultural issue, as wellas being an economic and technical one. Tourism businesses are hesitant about this market and most othem do not have the knowledge and con dence to serve customers with access needs. Fundamentally,there needs to be a change o attitude that recognises that guests with access needs are part o everytourism segment and that they can be an attractive and pro table target group, like any other. With betterin ormation, training and a more open dialogue with disabled customers, the European tourism marketcan improve its access, so providing better services or customers and tapping into new revenue streams.Essentially, Accessible Tourism is not meant to be a new kind o tourism, o ering segregated travel onlyor people with disabilities. Accessibility must be integrated in every kind o tourism experience,allowing all people to take part in cultural, rural, gastronomy, adventure tourism, or whatever otherexperience may be on o er.

Mr Ivor Ambrose

Managing Director o the European Network or Accessible Tourism asbl.

lets make Europe a tourismdestination or a

Personswith disabilities do not

have the same opportunities as anyother persons when planning their travels or

holidays, regardless o the destination. The choice is

dramatically restricted. Everything must be plannedar in advance and cheap tours such as last-minuteare precluded. Too o ten, one has to depend on

occasional - though welcome - help. Je

Documents

Acessibility Freedom Guide