To ensure people with disabilities have equal representation and opportunities in society and in the workplace, the European Parliament is looking to further the EU-wide Disability Strategy, tackling issues such as gender equality, poverty and discrimination. MEP Helga Stevens has long been involved in the fight for the rights of people with disabilities. She argues that more can be done for the disabled in terms of representation and inclusiveness.

EU politics

health (2841)

rights of the individual

human rights

education

Disabilities in the EU: long road to equality

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/20320121/N01-PUB-171129-DISA-EN.srt

One out of six or so individuals have a disability,

Very often, persons with disabilities don't get opportunities

 to put themselves forward to these positions

 governments view persons with disabilities

I can give you an example: perhaps a minister of transportation

That issue should belong to that particular minister".

But disability doesn't just belong in one sector.

Disability impacts all different areas of society,

and a lot of government, and people, don't realize that.

Which is how the EU can come in and play a role

by taking disability away from the "social affairs" perspective.

You can see quite clearly that women are at a disadvantage

and the reasons for this are very similar to the reasons

to gender inequality amongst the non-disability community.

In particular, society expects less from women

and expects less from women who are disabled.

So they're not expected to achieve as much as men are,

If society provided these women with the same opportunities,