Belgium is not doing enough to include people with disabilities, according to two organisations that have submitted critical reports to the United Nations about the State's shortcomings.
Equality promoting organisation Unia and the Belgium Disability Forum (BDF) have reported problems ranging from inaccessible buildings, public spaces and transport, to barriers for people with disabilities in accessing media and online platforms.
The two reports have been prepared as part of ongoing monitoring of how compliant Belgium is with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which the State ratified in 2009.
Unia has been tasked with monitoring the UN's Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Belgium since 2011, and the BDF gathers 19 Belgian organisations that represent people with disabilities.
Both organisations have noted Belgium's lack of a comprehensive emergency management plan considering the needs of disabled individuals.
They underscored the lack of alternatives to collective housing and facilities, and also highlighted that funding for the specific needs of pupils with disabilities is largely directed towards special education, limiting parental choice over schooling paths for their children.
Looking at employment for people with disabilities, Unia and the BDF noted that the majority of public funding is channelled towards adapted work companies, rather than supporting people to work in a mainstream environment.
Unia and the BDF also highlighted difficulties faced by people with disabilities in civic participation, particularly in exercising the right to vote.
Eliminating barriers
There were some positives, as Unia commended the Federal Action Plan for Disability, a strategy aiming to progressively eliminate barriers encountered by disabled persons.
They identified the integration of Article 22 into the Belgian constitution as another significant advance. The provision states that "every person with a disability has the right to full inclusion in society, including the right to reasonable adjustments."
Unia made 87 recommendations in its report, while the BDF made 108. They both advocated that all new policy initiatives should automatically have a dimension focused on disability.
The first assessment of Belgium's compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was in 2014, while the second began in 2019 and will conclude this September.
In autumn, the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will deliver a set of recommendations to the Belgian State, regarding how it can progress towards a more inclusive society for people with disabilities.
