Inclusion Europe participated to the online seminar on the priorities of the European Semester 2025 to discuss what should be done better in relation to employment, education and housing for people with intellectual disabilities.
The European Semester is an annual process that coordinates the EU’s economic and social policies. During the Semester, EU Member States align their budgetary and economic policies with the objectives agreed upon at the EU level. Freddy Jussien, Advocacy lead, and Soufiane El Amrani, Accessibility expert from Inclusion Europe focused on three main themes.
Housing and support
In Europe, very few adults with intellectual disabilities live in their own place. For people with intellectual disabilities, making use of their right to adequate housing can be very hard and, in some cases, impossible. In 19 countries of the European Union, most adults with intellectual disabilities live with their parents.
Employment
The employment rate for people with intellectual disabilities is very low and they remain at risk of being underpaid and are less likely to be promoted. In 23 countries, few or no people with intellectual disabilities are employed in the open labour market. In 15 countries, people with intellectual disabilities risk losing their disability benefits when they earn a salary.
Education
Over half a million people with intellectual disabilities attend “special education” schools where they are segregated from other children. Few children with intellectual disabilities go to the same schools as all other children. Inclusion Europe believes that Europe needs to do much better to have policies and actions to improve this situation.
The obstacles to employment
Considering the data, Inclusion Europe considers employment the worst inclusion indicator with an average score of 4 out of 10. In this regard, Soufiane El Amrani shared important obstacles that people with intellectual disabilities face in EU countries to access employment.
First, employers and schools do not value enough skills of people with intellectual disabilities.
Second, countries do not ensure work in the open labour market. For the ones who must go to sheltered workshops, because there are no other solutions, countries do not always make sure they have real work, equal pay and rights.
Third, many think that it is too difficult to adapt the workplace for people with intellectual disabilities because it requires money.
Ideas to change the situation
When asked what solutions could improve employment for people with intellectual disabilities, Freddy Jussien shared some ideas. At EU level, the Disability Employment Package is a good guidance; at the national level there also also some relevant inclusion measures. For example, the Breaking Barriers program in Scotland, or the Trinity College programme in Ireland, offer opportunities to study in higher education and to work in inclusive employment.