Government Implementation of the Standard Rules
As Seen By Member Organizations of
World Blind Union - WBU

Hungary

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© Dimitris Michailakis 1997

Federation of the Blind, Hungary
The Federation provides answers only as regards blind people.
Compare with the following Country Report(s): the Hungarian Government, DPI, ILSMH, WFD

General policy

There is no national disability policy. According to the Government, the officially recognized disability policy in Hungary is expressed in law and in guidelines, adopted by the Government. The emphasis is on: anti-discrimination, prevention, rehabilitation, individual support and accessibility measures.
Since the adoption of the Rules the government has not done anything to initiate or support information campaigns, conveying the message of full participation.

Legislation

The rights of persons with disabilities are protected by a combination of special legislation and general legislation. According to the Government, the rights of persons with disabilities are protected by general legislation. The judicial mechanism available to protect the rights of persons with disabilities is due process (legal remedy through courts), while the non-judicial mechanism is a governmental body (administrative). According to the Government, non-judicial mechanisms include an ombudsman and a special arbitration/conciliation body.

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, the right to privacy and property rights.

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

Accessibility

There are no rules to ensure accessibility of the built environment. According to the Government, there are rules to ensure accessibility in the built environment requiring that public places and the outdoor environment are made accessible. No responsible body exist for ensuring the accessibility in the built environment. The organizations of disabled people are trying to convince constructors to create accessible buildings. The only measure which has been promoted in order to facilitate accessibility in the built environment is marking parking areas. According to the Government, even other measures have been promoted to facilitate the accessibility: improving accessibility in housing, giving financial support for the costs of adapting private buildings to the needs of disabled persons and providing specially adapted motor vehicles. There are special transport arrangements for persons with disabilities. Local transportation is free for the blind; on long distance trips they get a 90% discount on train and bus tickets. Special transport is available for any purpose. The most difficult obstacles, when planning to build accessible environments, are economic/budgetary factors, lack of legislation and regulations, lack of knowledge, research and information, lack of co-operation from other organizations/institutions and lack of enforcement mechanism. There is no disability awareness component incorporated in the training of planners, architects and construction engineers.

There are no government measures to encourage media and other forms of public information to make their services accessible for persons with disabilities. The following service is provided in order to facilitate information and communication between persons with disabilities and others: literature in Braille/tape. The Federation produces Braille material and talking books, with government support.

Organizations of persons with disabilities

There is no national umbrella organization. According to the Government, there is a national umbrella organization. There are no legal provisions mandating the representatives of persons with disabilities to participate in policy-making or to work with governmental institutions. Organizations of persons with disabilities are often consulted, when laws and regulations with a disability aspect are being prepared. Consultations occur 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 government, legislatures, judicial authorities, political parties, and NGOs. The role of organizations of persons with disabilities is to advocate rights and improved services, mobilize persons with disabilities, participate in the planning, implementation and evaluation of services and measures concerning the lives of persons with disabilities, contribute to public awareness and provide services. According to the Government, organizations do not participate in the planning, implementation and evaluation of services and measures.

Co-ordination of work

The co-ordinating committee is reporting to the Ministry of Welfare. The committee includes representatives of the Ministries of Health and Social Affairs, of Employment as well as of organizations of persons with disabilities. The government does not expect the co-ordinating committee to participate in policy development or to perform other tasks. The establishment of the committee has had the following effects: improved legislation, better dialogue in the disability field and improved promotion of public awareness. The establishment of the committee has not led to improved co-ordination of measures/programmes, improved integration of responsibility, more accurate planning or more effective use of resources. According to the Government, there is no national co-ordinating committee.

The adoption of the Rules has not led to a rethinking of the approach to disability policy.

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Contents of the WBU Report | Compare with the following Country Report(s): the Hungarian Government, DPI, ILSMH, WFD