People with disability in Luxembourg have some legal protections from discrimination and their needs can be provided through various government policies. Students with disabilities have a fairly good rate of completing school compared to peers without a disability. Luxembourg signed onto the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on March 30, 2007. Much of the country is accessible, however, there are no legal provisions for reasonable accommodations.
People with disabilities living in poverty in Luxembourg has increased since 2010. [1] However, the rate of poverty was lower than in other European countries at 2 percent in 2011. [2]
In 2011, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities in the country was at 21 points. [3] People with severe disabilities had a 39 percent unemployment rate in the country. [4]
Luxembourg has largely used a medical model of disability in its policies and legislation regarding people with disabilities. [5]
Starting in 1989, the government decided to centralize agencies and policies for people with disabilities and put it together in the Ministry of Family Affairs, Integration and for the Greater Region. [6] Luxembourg's 2012 national plan contained measures to improve the lives of people with disabilities. [5]
Luxembourg's Employment Code specifies that businesses with more than 25 employees must hire a certain percentage of people with disabilities. [7]
People with severe disabilities and children are able to access a disability allowance. [8] The allowance for children, Allocation supplémentaire pour enfant handicapé, is provided when a child's mental or physical capacity is reduced by 50 percent. [8] Adult residents of Luxembourg that are at least 30 percent disabled and unable to work can be recognized as a disabled worker and receive Revenu pour personne gravement handicapée. [8] Individuals who require a caregiver can receive Assurance dépendance. [8]
German Sign Language was recognized as an official language in May 2017. [5]
Info-Handicap was created in April 1993 when 16 different disability organizations came together to work with the government. [6] The organization grew to include 55 member groups over time. [6]
Luxembourg signed onto the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on March 30, 2007. [9] Law No. 169 on the rights of persons with disabilities was passed on July 28, 2011. [10]
Under European Union directives, the country is prevented from firing a worker based on their disability status. [8] The two relevant directives are 2000/43/EC and 2000/78/EC. [8]
In Luxembourg, students with a disability are generally slightly less likely to complete various levels of education than people without a disability. [11]
Special education classes are also available for migrant children and children living in poverty who may have "language-related deprivations." [12] Refugees also receive special education as needed. [13]
As of 2017, there were no legal rights to reasonable accommodation in Luxembourg. [5]
Rollibus, a door-to-door taxi bus, is available in the city of Luxembourg for individuals who use wheelchairs. [14] Most city streets and rail stations are equipped for people with disabilities. [8] Buses are also able to accommodate people with disabilities and guide dogs ride buses for free. [8]
Parking spaces for people with disabilities are clearly marked and people using the spots must display their credentials with a European Union blue badge. [8]
According to a 2019 report from the Centre for Equal Treatment (Centre pour l'égalité de traitement CET), the most common type of discrimination in the country is against people with disabilities. [15] In 2019, it was found that 25 percent of discrimination cases were due to discrimination against people with disabilities. [15] Large companies have been found to not keep up with the Employment Code which specifies that any business with more than 25 employees must hire a certain number of people with disabilities. [7]
Universal access to education is the ability of all people to have equal opportunity in education, regardless of their social class, race, gender, sexuality, ethnic background or physical and mental disabilities. The term is used both in college admission for the middle and lower classes, and in assistive technology for the disabled. Some critics feel that this practice in higher education, as opposed to a strict meritocracy, causes lower academic standards. In order to facilitate the access of education to all, countries have right to education.
Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, sensory, or a combination of multiple factors. Disabilities can be present from birth or can be acquired during a person's lifetime. Historically, disabilities have only been recognized based on a narrow set of criteria—however, disabilities are not binary and can be present in unique characteristics depending on the individual. A disability may be readily visible, or invisible in nature.
Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" and "indirect access" meaning compatibility with a person's assistive technology.
Anti-discrimination law or non-discrimination law refers to legislation designed to prevent discrimination against particular groups of people; these groups are often referred to as protected groups or protected classes. Anti-discrimination laws vary by jurisdiction with regard to the types of discrimination that are prohibited, and also the groups that are protected by that legislation. Commonly, these types of legislation are designed to prevent discrimination in employment, housing, education, and other areas of social life, such as public accommodations. Anti-discrimination law may include protections for groups based on sex, age, race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, mental illness or ability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, sex characteristics, religion, creed, or individual political opinions.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Luxembourg have the same legal rights as non-LGBT people. Partnerships, which grant many of the benefits of marriage, have been recognised since 2004. In June 2014, the Luxembourgish Parliament passed a law enabling same-sex marriage and adoption rights, which took effect on 1 January 2015. Additionally, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and "change of sex" in employment, healthcare and the provision of goods and services is outlawed, and transgender people are allowed to change their legal gender on the basis of self-determination.
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international human rights treaty of the United Nations intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. Parties to the convention are required to promote, protect, and ensure the full enjoyment of human rights by persons with disabilities and ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy full equality under the law. The Convention serves as a major catalyst in the global disability rights movement enabling a shift from viewing persons with disabilities as objects of charity, medical treatment and social protection towards viewing them as full and equal members of society, with human rights. The convention was the first U.N. human rights treaty of the twenty-first century.
There are several social issues in Armenia including poverty, high unemployment rates, corruption, and inadequate public services.
The world's poor are significantly more likely to have or incur a disability within their lifetime compared to more financially privileged populations. The rate of disability within impoverished nations is notably higher than that found in more developed countries. Since the early 2010s there has been growing research in support of an association between disability and poverty and of a cycle by which poverty and disability are mutually reinforcing. Physical, cognitive, mental, emotional, sensory, or developmental impairments independently or in tandem with one another may increase one's likelihood of becoming impoverished, while living in poverty may increase one's potential of having or acquiring disability in some capacity.
Four million people in Australia (18.5%) reported having a disability in 2009, according to the results of the Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers. Males and females were similarly affected by disability.
In Japan, a person with a disability is defined as: "a person whose daily life or life in society is substantially limited over the long term due to a physical disability or mental disability". Japan ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on 20 January 2014.
Disability rights are not specifically addressed by legislation in New Zealand. Instead, disability rights are addressed through human rights legislation. Human rights in New Zealand are protected by the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 and the Human Rights Act 1993. New Zealand also signed and ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2008.
Approximately 12 million French citizens are affected by disability. The history of disability activism in France dates back to the French Revolution when the national obligation to help disabled citizens was recognized, but it was "unclear whether or not such assistance should be public or private." Disabled civilians began to form the first associations to demand equal rights and integration in the workforce after the First World War. Between 1940 and 1945, 45,000 people with intellectual disabilities died from neglect in French psychiatric asylums. After the Second World War, parents of disabled children and charities created specialized institutions for disabled children for whom school was not accessible. In 2018, the French Government began to roll out a disability policy which aimed to increase the allowance for disabled adults to €900 per month, improve the digital accessibility of public services, and develop easy-to-read and understand language among other goals.
Human rights in Norway protect the fundamental rights of all persons within the Kingdom of Norway. These rights are safeguarded by Chapter E of the Constitution of Norway or Kongeriket Norges Grunnlov, as well as the ratification of various international treaties facilitated by the United Nations. The country maintains a dedicated commitment to human rights and was the second country to ratify the European Convention on Human Rights.
Disability in Uruguay is often described historically and culturally by the medical model of disability. Much of current government policy surrounds the use of trained and paid caregivers for people with severe disabilities and many people who need assistive devices have not been able to access these.
People with disability in Algeria are protected under the law. Algeria has adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Arab Charter on Human Rights. Algeria is working to make the country more accessible to people with disabilities. Overall, about 2.5 percent of the country has some type of disability with men having a higher rate of disability than women.
There are around 447,600 people with disability in Cuba. A large number of people with disabilities in Cuba have an intellectual disability and about 3.2 percent have a severe disability. The government of Cuba has a medical model of disability in its approach to policies on people with disabilities. Another unique challenge that people with disabilities in the country face is due to the economic embargo of Cuba which has caused shortages in medical materials and assistive technology. The Constitution of Cuba has provisions for protecting the rights of people with disabilities and the country signed onto the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2007.
Around 35,000 people in Belize have a disability. There are efforts to raise awareness about people with disabilities in Belize and counter social stigma. Several non-governmental organizations, including Special Olympics, help increase awareness and the government sponsors an annual Disability Week. Services for people with disabilities is limited and most areas of the country have limited accessibility.
There are around 2,800,000 people with a disability in Chile. For the most part, citizens of Chile largely have a positive view of people with disabilities, though there is still discrimination in employment and other areas based on misconceptions about disability. The country largely uses a social model of disability in its approach to inclusive policies and laws regarding people with disability. Chile ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability in 2008 and has passed several laws which are intended to provide rights and inclusion for people with disabilities. In 2010, Chile created the National Disability Service in order to coordinate policies regarding people with disabilities. Accessibility in Santiago is generally very good and the national parks of Chile also work to provide accessibility in natural areas owned by the state.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) are connected through their common goals of addressing global challenges and promoting sustainable development through policies and international cooperation.