New strategy to empower people with disabilities - UE

New strategy to empower people with disabilities - UE
(...) How can Europe make goods and services more accessible to people with disabilities?
How can people with disabilities exercise their full rights as citizens when so many remain excluded from society? These are two of the questions addressed by the EU’s new European Disability Strategy.
In surveys, one in six people in the EU consider themselves to have a disability or a long-term health problem – that is about 80 million citizens. The EU believes that these individuals are entitled to live with dignity, enjoy equal treatment with the rest of the population, live independently, and take a full and active role in society.
EU legislation is already in place to ensure that people with disabilities are not discriminated against at work. Proposals are also in the pipeline to extend protection against discrimination beyond the workplace.
Despite the fact that their rights are enshrined in both EU and national legislation, many people with disabilities still face difficulties in their everyday lives.
They are on average poorer and more socially excluded than most other Europeans. They are also more likely to be jobless and have to cope with limited access to goods and services such as education, health care, transport, housing and technology. (...)