Article by Beatrice Sottile and Freddy Jussien
“Debating accessibility in the European Union is debating the very quality of our democracy”.
Portuguese MEP Isilda Gomez said this in a debate in the European Parliament about accessibility in Europe.
We agree.
People with intellectual disabilities cannot take part in society like others because a lot of information is still not accessible for them.
This means it’s more difficult for people with intellectual disabilities to know how to:
- vote
- use transport
- go to the doctor and have good health.
There were many more good points made during the debate.
“Accessibility is not only an obligation, but an opportunity to innovate and build inclusive communities”.
Said Commissioner Hoekstra on behalf of Commissioner Lahbib (Commissioner for Equality), in the opening speech.
He mentioned several important actions by the European Union:
- The EU accessibility act, that aims to make products and services more accessible for people with disabilities in the EU.
- Accessible EU Centre which trains professionals on accessibility, raises awareness, and shares good practices. The center published a guide on cognitive accessibility, that you can read here.
The Commissioner called these initiatives “a success” and mentioned that the Commission will announce new actions of the EU Disability Strategy soon. Probably around May.
“Accessibility must not be a promise in Europe, but a reality.”
During the debate, MEPs said that accessibility is about allowing everyone to take part in society.
“We need inclusive education from the very beginning – barrier-free culture and media, real participation in sport and public life.” said German MEP Sabrina Repp.
Spanish MEP Sandra Gómez López made the point that an accessible community makes life better for everyone: “Accessibility is not only designed for people with disabilities; It is precisely for an accessible Europe, a better Europe for everyone, for all citizens.”
Italian MEP Chiara Gemma called for more resources for easy-to-read information: “European funds are essential for the dissemination of accessible tools: from sign language to easy-to-read formats.”
“Unfortunately, this is still just another discussion about another document”
said Polish MEP Marczułajtis-Walczak in the following debate.
The EU is doing quite some work on accessibility, and this is good.
But the debate showed that accessibility for people with intellectual disabilities is often not understood or not taken into consideration. Only one speaker specifically mentioned the need for accessible services and media for people with intellectual disabilities.
Accessibility for people with intellectual disabilities will not be solved by writing thousands of documents and standards.
“We don’t need another piece of paper”, said German MEP Katrin Langensiepen, “we need an institution that has substance and real power”.
By making information and workplaces accessible for people with intellectual disabilities, the EU could be exactly that: an institution with substance, using its power in the right way.
The European Disability Forum (EDF) asks for a European Agency for Accessibility.
And there are also simple things EU institutions and everybody can do to make information more accessible:
- Slow down.
- Speak clearly.
- Use simple words.
- Give people time.
- Ask if everyone can follow what you are saying.
Doing this is already a big step towards equal participation for all.
But the road is very long to achieve full inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities.
In the meantime, “people with disabilities remain prisoners in their own apartments and institutions” said MEP Marczułajtis-Walczak in the following debate.
Beatrice Sottile is a trainee in our Ulla Topi traineeship in inclusive policy-making. Freddy Jussien is Inclusion Europe’s Advocacy Lead.