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Behind the scenes: work in Europe
- Authors:
- WILLIAMS Val, WATSON Debby
- Publisher:
- Mencap
- Publication year:
- 2001
- Pagination:
- 60p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The Video Journalism in Europe project produced three videos, entitled “Work in Europe”. These were made by people with learning difficulties who attended video training courses, developed as part of the project. On the videos, viewers meet workers with learning difficulties in different parts of Northern Europe who have succeeded in finding work. However, there are immense barriers that face thousands of other people with learning difficulties throughout Europe. That is why this report focuses first on the barriers and challenges.
Equal measures: closing the accessibility gap
- Editors:
- SHIPLEY Tony, GILL John, (eds.)
- Publisher:
- COST
- Publication year:
- 2005
- Pagination:
- 24p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The European Union has produced a set of Directives governing the provision of electronic communications facilities. People who have disabilities, or who are elderly and are now experiencing some loss of function, are at risk of exclusion from this new world of electronic communications unless special note is made of their needs. However, the pace of technological change is such that specific technical measures are quickly rendered obsolete, and so have no place in legislation that is intended to be of lasting value. If the primary legislation can only point to the basic fundamentals, and if the market-place is not yet ready to acknowledge a wider spectrum of functional ability amongst its customers, how can this risk of exclusion be addressed? The aim of this publication is to show how, with a degree of European co-operation, the powers devolved to national regulators can be applied to close the gap and bring in short- term measures that are consistent with the overall framework while addressing immediate problems of accessibility.
The right to political participation of persons with mental health problems and persons with intellectual disabilities
- Author:
- EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS
- Publisher:
- European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 24p.
- Place of publication:
- Vienna
The right to vote and to be elected is a fundamental right that all citizens in the European Union should be able to enjoy, on an equal basis. The report highlights international and European standards in this area and analyses the current legal framework in all 27 EU Member States, with the intention of contributing to knowledge about and the process of reform currently taking place in the EU Member States. The report starts by describing the international and European standards favouring the full participation of persons with intellectual disabilities and persons with mental health problems in the electoral process. The comparative law analysis then highlights the diverse approaches adopted in the EU Member States. In a majority of these, persons who have lost their legal capacity are automatically deprived of their right to political participation. The European Court of Human Rights, however, clearly stated that such an automatic deprivation contravenes the European Convention on Human Rights. In other EU Member States, the practice is to organise an individualised assessment of the actual ability to vote of the individuals in question. Finally, a third group of EU Member States have moved towards full participation of persons with disabilities in the electoral process. The report provides suggestions for the way forward to make sure that the standards in this area are applied in practice.
Deinstitutionalization and community living: outcomes and costs: report of a European study: volume 3: country reports
- Editors:
- BEADLE-BROWN Julie, KOZMA Agnes, (eds.)
- Publisher:
- University of Kent. Tizard Centre
- Publication year:
- 2007
- Pagination:
- 599p.
- Place of publication:
- Canterbury
These country reports form the third volume of the final report from the European Union Project Deinstitutionalisation and community living – outcomes and costs: report of a European Study. There are 28 country reports included. The aim of each report is three-fold: to summarise the data collated for the template for each of the service types identified for that country; to comment on the completeness and adequacy of the data collated; to provide a commentary on the context and current situation for people with disabilities in each country. In order to analyse, summarise and compare data across countries, information received on each template was recorded into categories. It is these categories which are included in the data summaries at the beginning of each of the country reports.
Deinstitutionalization and community living: outcomes and costs: report of a European study: volume 1: executive summary
- Authors:
- MANSELL Jim, et al
- Publisher:
- University of Kent. Tizard Centre
- Publication year:
- 2007
- Pagination:
- 14p.
- Place of publication:
- Canterbury
This project aimed to bring together the available information on the number of disabled people living in residential institutions in 28 European countries, and to identify successful strategies for replacing institutions with community-based services, paying particular attention to economic issues in the transition. The goal was seen as the provision of a flexible range of help and resources which can be assembled and adjusted as needed to enable all people with disabilities to live their lives in the way that they want but with the support and protection that they need. This is characterised by several features: separation of buildings and support; access to the same options as everyone else; choice and control for the disabled person and their representatives. Recommendations included: The European Commission should promote joint work between Member States and Eurostat to define a minimum data set for residential services for people with disabilities. The data set needs to be workable both for countries which still have services largely based in institutions, where the distinction between institutional care and care at home is very clear, and for countries which are in the advanced stages of replacing institutions with community-based services and independent living.
Deinstitutionalization and community living: outcomes and costs: report of a European study: volume 2: main report
- Authors:
- MANSELL Jim, et al
- Publisher:
- University of Kent. Tizard Centre
- Publication year:
- 2007
- Pagination:
- 134p.
- Place of publication:
- Canterbury
This detailed project aimed to bring together the available information on the number of disabled people living in residential institutions in 28 European countries, and to identify successful strategies for replacing institutions with community-based services, paying particular attention to economic issues in the transition. The overall aim of the project was to provide scientific evidence to inform and stimulate policy development in the reallocation of financial resources to best meet the needs of people with disabilities, through a transition from large institutions to a system of community-based services and independent living. The reports includes: the identification and collation of existing national data sources; description of the sequence and process of service development; comparison of the costs of community-based vs. institutional services; identification of transitional costs; and the analysis of political and economic strategies used to manage costs. Major recommendations included the harmonised data set at a European level, the publication of statistics demonstrating progress in each country, and the cost- effectiveness of community versus institutional models of residential care and change over time.
The labour market situation of people with disabilities in EU25
- Authors:
- SHIMA Isilda, ZOLYOMI Eszter, ZAIDI Ashgar
- Publisher:
- European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 17p.
- Place of publication:
- Vienna
The peculiarity of this analysis is that differently from other studies it is performed using the statistics of the employment status of people with disabilities drawn from administrative registers of the Member States. The statistics from administrative registers show that people with disabilities are mainly part of those working age groups classified as unemployed or inactive; only a modest fraction is part of the employed working age population. Nevertheless, the number of people with disabilities in ordinary employment has increased and that sheltered employment varies among the Member States. With regard to labour market measures the EU Member States have been going through a shift from passive measures towards (active) labour market integration policies. The demographic trends and the resulting shrinking of the labour force in the future emphasize the importance of shifting from a passive compensation system to an active integration programme and making best use of the available workforce. People with disabilities can represent a significant addition to the labour force and thus contribute to economic production. Many EU Member States have made an effort to break down the discrimination barriers with respect to disability and to consider these people as an integral part of society and the workforce, but more integrative measures and programmes have to emerge.
Long-stay mental health care institutions and the COVID-19 crisis: identifying and addressing the challenges for better response and preparedness
- Author:
- WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION. Regional Office for Europe
- Publisher:
- World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe
- Publication year:
- 2020
- Pagination:
- 20
- Place of publication:
- Copenhagen
This report presents the results of a survey with 169 long-stay institutions to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on services, staff, service users and residents with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities. Specific themes explored in this report are how well the institutions were prepared for the crisis by authorities, the quality of communications, the availability of personal protective equipment, and the impact of the risk of infection and protective measures on staff and residents. The report finds that there were significant differences between the types of institution reporting, which included psychiatric hospitals; care homes; and other settings for mental health care. Responses from psychiatric, intellectual disability and autism services were broadly consistent with those from social care homes, except for the following significant areas of difference: social care homes were happier with information from the authorities and the information they provided for residents in accessible formats; care home staff reported challenges with more workload, stress, frustration and burnout; care homes were less likely to use discharge to reduce numbers and manage the virus; and more likely to report an increase in the use of restrictive measures. The analysis highlights the need to put in place comprehensive and practical plans to facilitate management and day-to-day operations under crisis conditions. The keys to this are: having clear guidelines and tested systems in place; ensuring clarity of communication; implementing a comprehensive and facility-based infection prevention and control plan; establishing clear procedures and protocols to ensure safe environments; being able to increase staff capacities according to need; and having a clear focus on ensuring person-centred and human rights-based care in all decision-making. (Edited publisher abstract)
Tools for inclusive activation: improving the social inclusion of people furthest from the labour market
- Author:
- EUROPEAN SOCIAL NETWORK
- Publisher:
- European Social Network
- Publication year:
- 2019
- Pagination:
- 51
- Place of publication:
- Brussels
This toolkit for senior social services professionals provides guidance and practice examples on inclusion strategies of people furthest from the labour market. These include the long-term unemployed, people with disabilities, young people, migrants and refugees, homeless people, people with mental illness or single parents. It is based on the findings from a literature review and a questionnaire focus group discussion from members of the Social European Network. Drawing on an analysis of the literature, a questionnaire and seminar discussion with members of the Social European Network, the toolkit covers three key areas of guidance when designing inclusive activation policy and practice. These are: coordination between services - which could involve care coordinators, On-stop-shops or public-private partnerships; availability and adequacy of resources; and designing pathways to inclusion for specific groups who are not immediately employable and need tailored support to integrate in the labour market. These populations include the long-term unemployed, people with disabilities, young people, migrants and refugees, homeless people or people suffering from mental illness, and single parents with caring duties. Practice examples include the Disability and vulnerable people employment strategy implemented in Gloucestershire County Council in the United Kingdom. (Edited publisher abstract)
Taking the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities seriously: the past and future of the EU structural funds as a tool to achieve community living
- Authors:
- QUINN Gerard, DOYLE Suzanne
- Publisher:
- National University of Ireland. Centre for Disability Law and Policy
- Publication year:
- 2012
- Pagination:
- 26p.
- Place of publication:
- Galway
In late 2010 the European Union ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD). Confirmation of the convention has the potential to drive the evolution of a much more focused and robust set of EU-level responses in the form of legislation and policy change on disability. This essay focuses on one of the most important financial instruments of the EU, the Structural Funds, and its relationship to the UN CRPD. A major test of EU commitment to the convention is the need to radically amend the Regulations governing the EU Structural Funds to ensure compliance with the CRPD. The funds have been used in the past to fund the creation of new residential institutions for persons with disabilities (especially those with intellectual disabilities) in several recipient countries. However, this building of institutions is not a ‘mis-use’ of the Funds since the underlying Regulations are permissive toward this kind of use. The essay argues that there is a need to change the underlying Regulations to make it plain that EU monies cannot be spent to open new institutions and that they should, ideally, be spent to enable transitions to community living to occur.