Disability news and resources in Europe

Library > Countries > Europe

This page lists the countries in Europe with resources and recent highlights.

Countries

• Europe
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• Spain
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• Western Balkans

Recent Highlights

In Europe:

Stories and voices of women and girls with disabilities winners of a photo competition. (Mar, EDF)

In Finland:

Disability Tax in the Welfare State: Uncertainty and Resentment about Disability Services in Finland:

“The disability tax experiences are elaborated through four aspects: (1) rejected applications, (2) uncertain realisation, (3) laborious complaint mechanisms, and (4) the psycho–emotional effect. The findings of this study establish collective experiences of multi-layered disability tax throughout the disability services process. It concludes that disability services, which were originally planned to specifically ensure equal opportunities to participate in society for persons with disabilities, are increasingly becoming the very sources of burden as austerity has silently grown deeper over recent years and has become the clear policy of the current government.” (Jun, Disabilities)

In Hungary:

Can Disability Rights Flourish in Backsliding Democracies? The Case of Hungary:

“Results show that the space for disability rights advocacy has been shrinking for the Hungarian disability movement. Opportunities to influence and monitor public policy-making have been diminishing. Disability advocacy organisations have been less included in consultations and decisions about policies affecting disabled people. Due to fear of repercussions, disability movement actors often employ self-censorship when talking publicly. The meaning of human rights and civil society have changed in the public discourse. Legal obligations to consult with the disability movement, existing human rights laws, and statutory human rights bodies seem less and less effective amid eroding democratic structures. The disability movement has become fractured.” (Jul, Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research)

In Romania:

Romania horrified by inhumane abuse in care centres for disabled “an investigation revealed that a well-established criminal network involving state officials and private individuals ran “Nazi camps-style” care centres for disabled people who were left to starve without food or care.” (2023, Euractiv)

In Sweden:

Disability, Gender and Hiring Discrimination: an experiment sending 2,000 job applications found that “nondisabled applicants receive 33 percent more callbacks than similarly qualified wheelchair users despite applying for jobs where the impairment should not interfere with performance” (2023, IZA Institute of Labour Economics)

In Switzerland:

Disability at the end of class thoughtful discussion of debate on inclusive education. (In French, Jul, Couper l'herbe sous les roues)

In Ukraine:

You can't just use the restroom: why Ukraine's capital is far from barrier-free. Interviews with officials and activists. (Jul, UNN)

Russia told Ukrainians with disabilities they were visiting the seaside - but they were kidnapped and disappeared:

“Maksym and Inna are among at least 500 Ukrainians with disabilities – including children – that have likely been forcibly removed to Russian-held territory and Russia, according to an 18-month investigation by The Independent. The whereabouts of many of those we have documented remain unknown: of the people taken from Makysm’s facility, only 10 people have reappeared. None has been located from Inna’s.” (May, The Independent)

In the United Kingdom:

Beyond Disability Stigma: Examining Tolerance and Intolerance toward Disability Issues:

“Recent advances from social psychology suggest that intolerance is conceptually distinct from stigma and prejudice and results from value-driven reasons to interfere with a person’s beliefs or practices that have little to do with their identity or characteristics like impairment. However, study of (in)tolerance has so far been neglected in the disability context. In this paper, we address this gap. We argue that studying disability-related (in)tolerance is crucial for understanding disability discrimination and designing interventions to combat it.” (Sep, Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research)

Fall with me My childhood, told through its falls. (Jul, Disability Debrief)

Testimonies from the past Debrief feature looking at disabled people's life writing shows how their stories challenge official histories:

“All too often it is only the powerful who get to tell stories. This profoundly shapes how we see the world. But writing history without the testimony of ordinary disabled people is just smoke and mirrors.” (Jun, Disability Debrief)

A new wave of disability media Debrief feature on navigating tensions between art, activism and access. (May, Disability Debrief)

Stop trying to recruit unicorns with acorns. Incisive description of how accessibility roles are undervalued, underfunded, and incorrectly designed:

“I've seen it time and time again. People hire an accessibility specialist because it's a hot topic and it's always good publicity. But then they just leave that person to drown in an environment and an organisation where they are not supported.” (Jan, Craig Abbott)

Does the Government's disability confident scheme improve disability employment outcomes?

“Disabled jobseekers should not assume that Disability Confident organisations are necessarily any more likely than non-Disability Confident organisations to hire and retain them, or provide them with a better experience of work.” (2023, Disability @ Work)

Turning the tide: Debrief feature on fighting for equality when rights are eroded:

“I often feel that we’re going backwards. And some days it’s easy to think we made no progress. But that’s too simple. Our previous gains have put us in a different situation. The civil servants I talk to today have a much better understanding of disability from those I talked to thirty years ago. Disability-related supports can be undermined but the government would find it hard to take them away entirely. Today’s battles are different.” (2023, Disability Debrief)