Government Implementation of the Standard Rules
As Seen By Member Organizations of
World Federation of the Deaf - WFD

Austria

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© Dimitris Michailakis 1997

Österreichischer Gehörlosenbund, Austria
Compare with the following Country Report(s): the Austrian Government

General policy

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

Since the adoption of the Rules, the government has not done anything to convey the message of full participation.

Legislation

The rights of persons with disabilities are protected by special legislation. According to the Government, the rights of disabled people are protected by a combination of special and general legislation. The judicial mechanism adopted to protect the rights of persons with disabilities is recourse procedure by a special agency, dealing with anti-discrimination issues. The non-judicial mechanisms include: an ombudsman, a governmental body (administrative), independent expert bodies and a special arbitration/conciliation body. According to the Government, non-judicial mechanisms include a patient's attorney for people with mental disabilities being admitted in a hospital or psychiatric department.

General legislation applies to persons with different disabilities with respect to education, employment, access to court of law, right to privacy and property rights. According to the Government, general legislation applies to persons with disabilities with respect to education, employment and political rights. The following benefits are guaranteed by law to persons with disabilities: health and medical care, training, rehabilitation and counselling, financial security and employment. According to the Government, the only benefit guaranteed by law to disabled people is health and medical care.

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

Accessibility

There are rules to ensure accessibility of the built environment which establish national design standards requiring that public places, the outdoor environment, means of public transportation, housing are made accessible. According to the Government there are no standards requiring that means of public transport are made accessible. Accessibility in the built environment is observed by a national authority. 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 automatic doors, lifts and accessible toilets, ensuring access to public places, improving accessibility in housing and providing financial incentives/support for accessibility measures in housing. According to the Government, even provision of specially adapted motor vehicles and installing traffic lights with acoustic signals for blind persons are provided. Special transport is available for medical treatment and education. According to the Government, special transport is available also for work and for recreational purpose. The most difficult obstacles, when planning to build accessible environments, are attitudinal factors, lack of knowledge, research and information, lack of user participation and lack of enforcement mechanism. The Government also regards economic/budgetary factors to be an obstacle, when planning to build accessible environments. There is no disability awareness component incorporated in the training of planners, architects and construction engineers. According to the Government, there is such a component.

Sign language has no officially recognized status, is not used as the first language in education of deaf people and is not 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 main means of communication between deaf persons and others. There are limited government measures to encourage media to make their information services accessible to persons with disabilities, but there are no measures to make other forms of public information services accessible for persons with disabilities.

Organizations of persons with disabilities

There is a national umbrella organization. There are legal provisions mandating the representatives of persons with disabilities to participate in policy-making and to work with governmental institutions. Organizations of persons with disabilities are sometimes consulted, when laws and regulations with a disability aspect are being prepared. According to the Government, organizations are always consulted. Consultations occur at the national level. The government gives financial support to organizations of persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities participate to a very limited extent in government, legislatures, political parties and NGOs. The role of organizations of persons with disabilities is to advocate rights and improved services, mobilize persons with disabilities, identify needs and priorities, contribute to public awareness and provide services. Organizations do not participate in the planning, implementation and evaluation of services and measures concerning the lives of persons with disabilities, nor do they promote/organize income generating activities. According to the Government, the role of organizations in Austria is to advocate rights and improved services, mobilize persons with disabilities and to identify needs and priorities.

Co-ordination of work

The co-ordinating committee is reporting to the Ministry of Social Affairs. The committee includes representatives solely from organizations of persons with disabilities. According to the Government, the committee also includes, epresentatives from several Ministries, from the employers and employees¥ associations, from the Central Association of Austrian Insurance Institutions as well as members of the political parties. The government expects the committee to participate in policy development and to assist individual disability organisations. It is too early for an assessment about the effects of the co-ordinating committee. According to the Government, the effects of the establishment of the co-ordinating committee are improved co-ordination of measures/programmes in the disability field, improved legislation, a better dialogue in the disability field and improved promotion of public awareness.

Very little has been done to improve the life situation of deaf people. According to the Government, the principles of the Austrian national disability policy are in accordance with the principles in the Standard Rules.

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Contents of the WFD Report | Compare with the following Country Report(s): the Austrian Government