Government Action on Disability Policy
A Global Survey
Part II - Government Replies as Country Profiles

Slovenia

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© Dimitris Michailakis 1997

Transmitted by the Embassy in Stockholm (7 May 1996)
Compare with the following Country Report(s): ILSMH, RI

General policy

The officially recognized disability policy in Slovenia is expressed: in law and in guidelines adopted by the Government. The emphasis - in descending scale - is on: rehabilitation, prevention, individual support, accessibility measures, anti-discrimination law.

Since the adoption of the Rules the Government has initiated and supported information campaigns conveying the message of full participation.

Legislation

The rights of persons with disabilities are protected by a combination of special and general legislation. The judicial mechanism available to protect the rights of persons with disabilities is due process (legal remedy through courts). There are no administrative and other non-judicial bodies available for that purpose.

The 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, property rights. The following benefits are guaranteed by law to persons with disabilities: health and medical care, training, rehabilitation and counselling, financial security, employment.

No new legislation concerning disability has been enacted since the adoption of the Rules.

Accessibility

There are laws and regulations ensuring accessibility of the build environment requiring that new buildings (schools, hospitals, clinics etc.) are made accessible, old buildings being slowly adapted. Accessibility in the build environment is observed by the constructor. The following measures have been promoted by the Government: marking parking areas, installing automatic doors, installing special lighting for visually impaired. Special transport arrangements include free transport for pre-school education and primary education being available for medical treatment, education (partly), work (partly). When planning to build accessible environments the most difficult obstacles are: attitudinal factors, economic/budgetary factors, lack of legislation and regulations, lack of planning and design capacity, lack of enforcement mechanisms. There is no disability awareness component incorporated in the training of planners, architects and construction engineers.

Sign language for deaf people is used as the first language in education of deaf people and is recognized as the main means of communication between deaf persons and others. There are no Government measures for encouraging 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, easy readers for persons with mental disabilities. In addition there are TV programmes for deaf people, video cassettes with subscriptions and translation to sign language.


Organizations of persons with disabilities

There is a national umbrella organization of persons with disabilities, 11 national organizations being represented. There are no legal provisions mandating the representatives of persons with disabilities to participate in policy development and to work with Governmental institutions. Disability organizations are often consulted when laws and regulations with a disability aspect are being prepared. Consultations take place at the national level. The Government financially supports existing or new organizations of persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities participate to a very limited extent in judiciary and political parties, but to a great extent in Government, legislature and NGOs. The disabled persons' organizations have the role to: advocate rights and improved services, mobilize persons with disabilities, identify needs and priorities, participate in the planning, implementation and evaluation of services and measures concerning the lives of disabled people, contribute to public awareness, provide services, and promote/organize income generating activities.

Co-ordination of work

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

On the basis of the Standard Rules, the Government has created a national report for the Parliament.

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