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

United Kingdom

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© Dimitris Michailakis 1997

Royal National Institute for the Blind, United Kingdom

Compare with the following Country Report(s): the UK Government, ILSMH

General policy

The officially recognized disability policy is expressed in guidelines adopted by the government, guidelines adopted by the national disability council, in policy adopted by political parties and in policy adopted by NGOs. According to the Government, disability policy is also expressed in law. The emphasis in this national policy - in descending scale - is on accessibility measures, individual support, rehabilitation, prevention and anti-discrimination law.

Since the adoption of the Standard Rules, the government has done the following in order to convey the message of full participation: translated the Standard Rules in Swedish with a preface by the Minister of Social Affairs, stressing the importance of the Rules. The Rules have through conferences, also been made known.

Legislation

The rights of persons with disabilities are protected by special legislation. According to the Government, the rights of persons with disabilities are protected both by general and special legislation. The judicial mechanism adopted to protect the rights of persons with disabilities is due process (legal remedy through courts), while the non-judicial mechanism is an Ombudsman. According to the Government, non-judicial mechanisms also include a governmental body (administrative), and a 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, the right to privacy and property rights. The following benefits are guaranteed by law to persons with disabilities: health and medical care, training, rehabilitation and counselling and financial security. The Association is, however, adding the following explanation: all depends on what you mean with 'guaranteed'. If you mean almost without exemption, the above benefits are guaranteed. If you mean an absolute guarantee, only financial security is guaranteed. The benefits of employment, independent living, participation in decisions affecting themselves are not guaranteed by law, neither in the relative, nor in the absolute sense of the term guaranteed. According to the Government, even the benefits of employment, independent living and participation in decisions affecting themselves are guaranteed by law.

No new legislation has been enacted, since the adoption of the Standard Rules. According to the Government, the following laws have been enacted, since the adoption of the Rules: the Act concerning Support and Service for Persons with certain Functional Impairment and the assistance Benefit Act, the Act concerning the Disability Ombudsman, the act concerning Pilot Project with Parental Influence on school attendance of children with mental retardation and an amendment in the Act concerning Suitable Public Transport to Persons with Disabilities implying that the needs of persons with disabilities must be taken into consideration in planning and implementing the transports.

Accessibility

There are laws and regulations to ensure accessibility of the built environment which establish national design standards requiring that public places, the outdoor environment and land, sea and air transportation are made accessible. Accessibility in the built environment is observed by local governments and by the constructor. According to the Government, accessibility is also observed by a national authority. The following measures have been promoted by the government to facilitate accessibility in the built environment: levelling off pavements, marking parking areas, installing automatic doors, lifts, accessible toilets and ensuring access to public places. According to the Government, even the following measures have been promoted: improving accessibility in housing, providing financial incentives for accessibility measures when building and renovating housing and when adapting private buildings to the needs of persons with disabilities, installing special lighting and using contrast colours for visually impaired and providing specially adapted motor vehicles. Special transport arrangements include reduced prices for travelling by taxi and train. 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, lack of legislation and regulations, lack of planning and design capacity and lack of enforcement mechanism. The Government does not regard attitudinal factors as an obstacle, when building accessible environments. Only to a limited degree there is a disability awareness component incorporated in the training of planners, architects and construction engineers.

Sign language for deaf people is not recognized as the official language of deaf people. But it 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. According to the Government, sign language for deaf people is recognized as the official language of deaf people. 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 other persons: literature in Braille/tape, news magazines on tape/Braille, sign language interpretation being available for any purpose and easy readers for persons with disabilities.

Organizations of persons with disabilities

There is a national umbrella organization in which the organizations of the visually impaired and of the deaf 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 sometimes consulted, when laws and regulations with a disability aspect are being prepared. When taking place, consultations occur at both the national, regional and local levels. The government gives financial support to existing or new organizations of persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities participate to a very limited extent in government, legislatures, and political parties and to a great extent in NGOs. 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 measures, contribute to public awareness, provide services and promote/organize income generating activities.

Co-ordination of work

The national co-ordinating committee is annually reporting to the government. The government expects the co-ordinating committee to participate in policy development and to perform other tasks e.g. information, supervision. It is too early for an assessment regarding the effects of the establishment of the co-ordinating committee. According to the Government, there is no national co-ordinating committee in Sweden.

The adoption of the Standard Rules has not led to a rethinking of the approach to disability policy. According to the Government, however, the standard Rules are expressing views which are very close to the Swedish policy on disability and they are an important and appropriate instrument to develop the policy in this field.

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