EDF is monitoring the impact of the crisis on the rights of persons with disabilities

Because of the economic crisis, governments have less money to spend than before. This means that they might also spend less money to help people with disabilities. This has a huge impact on the lives of people with disabilities. European Disability Forum is an organisation which fights for the rights of people with disabilities in Europe. European Disability Forum prepared an online survey. They want to find out how things changed for people with disabilities in Europe now that their governments spend less money. You can reply to their questions here.

The European Disability Forum has launched a survey on the impact of the measures, that European countries take to face the economic crisis, on people with disabilities. The aim of this initiative is to reveal the current situation in the European countries.

What are the consequences of the crisis for persons with disabilities in your country? Did your government or the competent public authorities take any austerity measures that hindered the enjoyment of the rights of persons with disabilities? Did the crisis have a negative impact on the perception of persons with disabilities and their needs by the society and public authorities? What measures have been taken to protect the rights of persons with disabilities from the crisis?

It will only take some minutes, but answering these questions will shed plenty of light on the impact of the economic crisis on the rights of persons with disabilities in Europe. Denouncing that current economic, social and political policies adopted by Member States in order to face the crisis, have aggravated social exclusion, the European Disability Forum (EDF) has created an observatory. This is a monitoring tool aiming at:

• Collecting relevant national examples

     and

• Monitoring austerity measures taken by EU Member States and EU institutions, as well as international financial institutions.

Everyone can contribute to the development of a consistent and comprehensive overview of the current situation by providing examples and information on the situation in their country. To find out more information about this initiative or to participate in the survey, you can visit the EDF website.