László Bercse, Vice-President of Inclusion Europe, wrote to European Economic and Social Committee about the demands of the hashtag disability rights movement.
With the elections behind us, we are left feeling the same, still fighting for the same things. People with intellectual disabilities often cannot make important decisions about their lives, like voting, choosing where to live or finding a job. This affects millions of people and their families. We need laws to protect their rights and support them in making decisions. Everyone deserves the chance to be included and have a say in their future.
In terms of education, 700 000 children are still in segregated special schools, and 20 000 receive no education at all. No wonder they’re not prepared to make ‘proper’ decisions.
When it comes to employment, less than 10% of people with intellectual disabilities are employed. So it shouldn’t be a surprise when they can’t sign contracts.
With regard to housing, up to 750 000 people with intellectual disabilities are confined in harmful segregated institutions, while an additional 39 000 reside in psychiatric hospitals.
All these aspects of a person’s life are very much intertwined, and depriving someone of their legal capacity has a negative impact on all areas of their life. Protecting vulnerable people is often the reasoning used to justify such measures. But these measures have a huge impact over the lives of 20 million people with intellectual disabilities and their families, as shown by the recently published Inclusion Indicators.
In 2019, around 800 000 people from 16 EU Member States did not have the right to vote or to stand for election based on their disability. Since then, France, Germany and Spain have changed their laws. And the European Parliament adopted a resolution which calls for the enforcement of all EU citizens’ right to vote, regardless of their legal capacity or whether they are currently living in an institution.
In the 2024 elections, around 400 000 people under guardianship did not have the right to vote.
Nearly 50 000 people under guardianship couldn’t vote in Hungary. We need the right to vote so that decision-makers do not make decisions about us without us having a say. Some don’t see the problem, and yet no other citizen must pass an IQ test to vote. Why should people with intellectual disabilities have to do so? Does it mean that people with intellectual disabilities are second-class citizens?
We need the newly elected European Parliament to do everything they can to make the following come true.
- Every person with disabilities must have the right to vote, including all those under guardianship. We are citizens of Europe, and we should have the right to have a say in politics.
- Guardianship must be abolished, and supported decision-making must be promoted because we need good support in making decisions, not guardianship.
- We need quality education to enable us to find a job. We need more jobs, better support in the workplace and higher salaries. We want to do meaningful work in the open labour market.
- Poverty among the families of persons with disabilities must be combated.
- ‘Care’ institutions must be closed and replaced with disability support services enabling people to live independently and be included in the community.
- People with intellectual disabilities must be involved in decisions that concern them. This means1. 1. Ordered list having the opportunities and support to share their views and expectations during the policymaking process. There are several good EU initiatives that need to be fully implemented by Member States in order to make the most of them for people with disabilities. This includes the European Accessibility Act, the EU Disability Card and other initiatives outlined in the EU Disability Rights Strategy..
We expect the European Parliament to play a big role in establishing good inclusion policies and to pay close attention to how well these policies are implemented.
The article was published in the newsletter of the European Economic and Social Committee.