Government Implementation of the Standard Rules
As Seen By Member Organizations of
Disabled Peoples' International - DPI

Sweden

Download 'DPI Reports on the UN Standard Rules' as a PDF file (240 KB)

---

© Dimitris Michailakis 1997

Handikappförbundens Samarbetsorgan (HSO), Sweden
Compare with the following Country Report(s): the Swedish Government, DPI (Neurologiskt Handikappades Riksf-rbund), DPI (Hörselskadades Riksförbund), DPI (Riksförbundet för Mag- och Tarmsjuka), ILSMH, WBU, WFD

General policy

The officially recognized disability policy is expressed in law, in guidelines adopted by the government, in policy adopted by political parties and in policy adopted by NGO's. The emphasis in this national policy - in descending scale - is on individual support, rehabilitation, prevention, accessibility measures and anti-discrimination law.

The government has given ten million SEK in order to support information campaigns conveying the message of full participation. The Government also refers to other actions taken in order to convey the message of full participation: translation of the Standard Rules in Swedish, entrusting the Disability Ombudsman with the task of disseminating and promoting the Rules in Sweden and making the Standard Rules available in Braille, cassette tapes and in an easy-to-read form.

Legislation

The rights of persons with disabilities are protected by a combination of special legislation and general legislation. The judicial mechanism available to protect the rights of persons with disabilities is due process (legal remedy through courts). Non-judicial bodies include an Ombudsman and a governmental body (administrative). According to the Government, non-judicial mechanisms also includes national/regional supervision.

General legislation applies to persons with different disabilities with respect to: education, employment, the right to marriage, the right to parenthood/family, political rights, access to court-of-law and to property rights. According to the Government, general legislation also applies to the right to privacy. The following benefits are guaranteed by law to persons with disabilities: health and medical care, training, rehabilitation and counselling, financial security and independent living. According to the Government, even the benefit of employment and of participation in decisions affecting themselves, are guaranteed by law to disabled people.

The following laws have been enacted since the adoption of the Standard Rules: The Act concerning Support and Service for Persons with certain Functional Impairments (LSS) and the Assistance Benefit Act (LASS). The Government also refers to other Acts enacted since the adoption of the Rules: the Act concerning the Disability Ombudsman; the Act concerning Pilot Project with Parental Influence on School Attendance of Children with Mental Retardation; an amendment in the Act concerning Suitable Public Transport to Persons with Disabilities.

Accessibility

There are laws and regulations to ensure accessibility of the built environment which establish national design standards requiring that housing is made accessible. According to the Government, there are standards requiring even that public places, the outdoor environment and means of transportation are made accessible. Accessibility in the built environment is observed by local governments and by the constructor. According to the Government, accessibility is observed also by a national authority states. The following measures have been promoted by the government in order to facilitate accessibility in the built environment: levelling off pavements, marking parking areas, installing lifts and accessible toilets, improving accessibility in housing, giving financial incentives/support for accessibility measures in housing, using contrast colours for visually impaired and providing specially adapted motor vehicles. There are special transport arrangements for persons with disabilities. Special transport is available for medical treatment, education, work and for recreational purpose. The most difficult obstacles, when planning to build accessible environments, are attitudinal factors, economic/budgetary factors, geographical and climatic factors, lack of legislation and regulations, lack of user participation, lack of co-operation from other organizations/institutions and lack of enforcement mechanism. According to the Government, there are two obstacles for building accessible environments: economic/budgetary factors and lack of knowledge, research and information. There is a disability awareness component in the training of planners, architects and construction engineers.

Sign language for deaf people is recognized as the official language of deaf people, is also used as the first language in education of deaf people, and recognized as the main means of communication between deaf persons and others. There are government measures to encourage media and other forms of public information to make their services accessible to persons with disabilities. The following services are provided in order to facilitate information and communication between persons with disabilities and others: literature in Braille/tape, news magazines on tape/Braille, sign language interpretation being available for any purpose and easy readers for persons with mental disabilities.

Organizations of persons with disabilities

There is a national umbrella organization, (some ten organizations are not represented). There are no legal provisions mandating the representatives of persons with disabilities to participate in policy-making or to work with governmental institutions. According to the Government, there are such legal provisions. Disability organizations are often consulted, when laws and regulations with a disability aspect are being prepared. Consultations, when taking place, occur at both the national, regional and local levels. The government financially supports existing or new organizations of persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities participate to a very limited extent in government, legislatures, judiciary system, and political parties but to a great extent in NGO's. The role of disabled persons organizations is to: advocate rights and improved services, mobilize persons with disabilities, identify needs and priorities, participate in the planning, implementation and evaluation of services and measure and contribute to public awareness. According to the Government, organizations also provide services and promote/organize income generating activities.

Co-ordination of work

There is no national co-ordinating committee or any similar body in Sweden.

On the issue whether the adoption of the standard Rules has led to a rethinking of the approach to disability policy, the organization states: îwe hope thatî. According to the Government, the Rules, although being very close to the Swedish disability policy, are an important and appropriate instrument for developing policy in this field.

---

Contents of the DPI Report | Compare with the following Country Report(s): the Swedish Government, DPI (Neurologiskt Handikappades Riksf-rbund), DPI (Hörselskadades Riksförbund), DPI (Riksförbundet för Mag- och Tarmsjuka), ILSMH, WBU, WFD