Free Movement of People with Disabilities in South East Europe: an Inaccessible Right?
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Free Movement of People with Disabilities in South East Europe: An Inaccessible Right? FREE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN SOUTH EAST EUROPE: An Inaccessible Right? 2006 Free Movement of People with Disabilities in South East Europe: An Inaccessible Right? DISCLAIMER Materials published in the Disability Monitor Initiative series are not formal publications of Handicap International. They are produced by Handicap International Regional Office for South East Europe as part of a regional initiative to build knowledge on disability in transition. The reports and papers present preliminary analyses that are circulated to stakeholders in order to encourage discussion and debate. The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed in this report are entirely those of the authors and should not be attributed in any manner to Handicap International, their donors or partners. For copies of this report, please contact Handicap International Regional Office for South East Europe or visit the Disability Monitor Initiative website. © Copies of the publication are free but Handicap International has the copyright on the publication thus the source must be mentioned. THE DISABILITY MONITOR INITIATIVE www.disabilitymonitor-see.org [email protected] HANDICAP INTERNATIONAL REGIONAL OFFICE FOR SOUTH EAST EUROPE Velisava Vulovica 11 11040 Belgrade Serbia [email protected] HANDICAP INTERNATIONAL OFFICES IN SOUTH EAST EUROPE Belgrade, [email protected] Pristina, [email protected] Sarajevo, [email protected] Skopje, [email protected] Tirana, [email protected] 2 Free Movement of People with Disabilities in South East Europe: An Inaccessible Right? ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Report Directed by Alexandre Côte Authors Raphaelle Sestranetz and Lisa Adams Researcher Raphaelle Sestranetz Editor Lisa Adams Contributors The Handicap International South East Europe team, Centre for Independent Living Serbia, IC Lotos, Polio Plus, Association of Students with Disabilities Serbia, Miodrag Počuč, Srđan Doroški, Eric Plantier-Royon, Suad Zahirovic, Damjan Tatic, Carlotta Besozzi (EDF), Association of Students with Disabilities Montenegro, Handikos Kosovo, Muscular Dystrophy Association Belgrade, Paraplegic Association Albania, Center for the Development of Inclusive Society Serbia, Association of Students with Disabilities Macedonia, Ardhmëria, Association of the Blind Kosovo, Albanian Disability Rights Foundation, Croatian Union of Associations of Persons with Disabilities, Association of the Blind Macedonia, Association of Paraplegics, Infantile Paralysis and Physical Impairments of Doboj, BiH, Centar Ziveti Uspravno, Novi Sad, Nagy Bendeguz, Disability Rights Activists (DRA) Hungary and Erzebet Szollosi, National Federation of Disabled Persons’ Associations, Hungary (MEOSZ) Proofreading and layout Daniela Nikolic and Dragan Matic Layout and design Suzana Markovic Translation Jelena Milosevic, Merita Myftari and Petro Plasa Cover photo Raphaelle Sestranetz, streets in Pristina, the UN administered Province of Kosovo The report has been realised thanks to the financial support of The Department for International Development of the United Kingdom (DFID), the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR)* and Handicap International *This report has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this report are the sole responsibility of Handicap International South East Europe and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union. 3 Free Movement of People with Disabilities in South East Europe: An Inaccessible Right? FOREWORD As the draft UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities is about to be adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations, we know that currently most people with disabilities are deprived of their basic rights and face huge barriers in social participation. This marginalization occurs not only due to policies conceived in a protectionist framework but also because society itself ignores the rights of people with disabilities. Waking up, taking a shower, going out of the flat, crossing the street, enjoying the park on the way to work, catching the bus at the last minute, greeting your colleagues at the entrance of the office, climbing the stairs to go to the Monday morning meeting…. to most, these are the basic parts of daily life but for thousands of people in South East Europe, they are inaccessible rights. The challenges are numerous and many times insurmountable. The lack of personal assistance services, the excessively high costs of technical aids and assistive devices and millions of architectural barriers are all realities in the region today. In addition to this, there is little to no political will to enforce accessibility standards in construction coupled with an over-arching medical and charity approach to disability. The subsequent disability policies based on segregation and over-protection rather than inclusion and equal opportunities, are the roots of this silent and unacceptable situation. However, throughout South East Europe, civil society along with actors from private, public and non-profit sectors have initiated some changes: from individualised services, to advocacy campaigns, from legislative reforms to trainings; these efforts are aimed at breaking the status quo and finding solutions where possible. Yet, these initiatives are carried out in a disjointed manner impacting only a minority of people. Even if these initiatives are still too sporadic or small scale to make widespread change, this report aims at showing the value some of these initiatives demonstrate proving that the free movement of people with disabilities is neither a utopia, nor a luxury; it is a feasible pre-condition to a truly inclusive society. In order to achieve the needed changes, people with disabilities, local authorities, universities, national authorities, construction agencies, architects, urban planners, centers for social work, private business, inter alia, must join efforts to make the free movement of people with disabilities a reality. Each actor is obliged to up-hold their responsibilities and to take part in this needed effort. Purchasing low floor bus, building with accessibility standards from the beginning, developing support services at the local level and training staff and future professionals are some of the actions that, if correctly conceived, planned and budgeted, can make major changes in the lives of people with disabilities. These are not challenging initiatives to undertake and, therefore, there is no excuse not to act. Many wonder what impact the UN convention will have on the lives of people with disabilities. The Disability Monitor Initiative seeks to demonstrate that nothing in the convention is impossible and within this framework, the report “Free Movement of People with Disabilities” proves that this is an attainable goal. The interconnectedness of rights which is fundamental to the convention is also critical for the free movement of people with disabilities; a person must have the proper support services, an accessible home, accessible transport and an accessible environment in order to create an unbreakable chain of movement in which a person can move seamlessly to any destination they choose. This unbreakable chain of movement also highlights the leading role that public authorities play in developing comprehensive strategies that would take into consideration the complexity of issues. Implementing the unbreakable chain of movement is not mainly about spending more, but consulting and elaborating with all actors in order to develop and implement comprehensive plans and strategies that will truly respond to the diversity of challenges faced by people with disabilities in their attempt to participate equally with others in society. Handicap International and all disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) that have contributed to this report would like to thank the Department for International Development of UK and the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights from the European Union* for their financial support to this report. It gives visibility to the problems that must be addressed and the existing solutions to be developed. Building an inclusive society with a supportive and barrier-free environment for all including people with disabilities, is becoming an internationally acknowledged duty for states. However, it is the responsibility of all stakeholders to make sure that it will happen. We hope that this report will contribute to this struggle. Alexandre COTE Regional Director Handicap International South East Europe Regional Office 5 Free Movement of People with Disabilities in South East Europe: An Inaccessible Right? TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword ........................................................................................................................................... 5 Acronyms and Abbreviations ............................................................................................................. 9 GLOSSARY........................................................................................................................................... 11 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................... 15 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 19 PART I - THE