ENIL Freedom Drive ConferenceFourth session – Disability and Austerity

Consequences of cuts on disabled people and ENIL’s lobbying for a Parliament Resolution

Tuesday, September 10th 2013Strasbourg, France

Peter Lambreghts ENIL Board Member & WRT Coordinator

&Debbie Jolly

Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) and ENIL Board Member

content of session (1)

Part 1

• The effect of the crisis on disabled Europeans• Focus on specific member state with severe

impact of crisis. Cuts in the U.K. and the counter actions by DPAC

• ENIL’s past and future work against cuts on IL• Short Q&A with Peter & Debbie on their

presentations

content of session (2)

Part 2• Interaction with the Freedom Drivers. Bringing our

knowledge together to defend our right on IL.• Focus on specific questions.

– What negative impact on IL occurred in your region/country because of austerity measures and cuts?

– What did you (your CILs/DPOs) do to counter the cuts and to defend the right on IL? What works, what doesn’t? Can we learn from each other?

– What can ENIL do to assist and support you in fighting cuts and defending IL? Focus on specific actions.

The effect of the crisis on disabled Europeans (1)

Research proves disabled people are hit even harder than non disabled “Assessing the impact of European governments’

austerity plans on the rights of people with disabilities”

http://www.enil.eu/recommended-readings-2/european-foundation-centre-assessing-the-impact-of-european-governments-austerity-plans-on-the-rights-of-people-with-disabilities/

Background info on EFC study• Reference frame

– UNCRPD – EU Disability Strategy 2010-2020 – Europe 2020 strategy

• Focus – ‘social services’

• Employment and vocational rehabilitation• Health and social care services• Independent living• Education and vocational training

– ‘social security’ for people with disabilities

Background info on EFC study (2)

• March – October 2012• Two phases

– European study• Review of ‘European’ sources, studies and statistics covering

all 27 Member States– Country studies

• Review of national sources• Semi-structured interviews with

– Local authorities and funders– Disability organisations– Service Providers

– Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and U.K

8

AUSTERITY MEASURES

ILF closed for to new applicants

in UK

Environmentalcontrol devices on hold

(Irish region)

Funding for assistive technology

-37% (POR)

Reduction of staff

Closure / merging

Delays in payments

Budget reductions for service providers

Cuts in direct independent living

supportPartnership

Cut support servicesfor inclusive

education

Discontinuation of supported

employment

Closure of sheltered workshopswithout alternatives

Impact on education and employment

support

9

AUSTERITY MEASURES

Lack of know-how for drafting

technical specifications

Less budgets for community-based

services

Back to the medical model

Growing uncertaintyblocks investments

Less training and professional development

Delays in implementationof new legislation

Innovation postponed Standardisation Institutionalisation

Less availability and affordability

Unmet need for personal assistance

(520.000 hours / annum)

Longer waiting lists for long-term care and day-care

Increased responsibilities For PwD and families

10Societal changes

Weakeneddisability movement

Greater riskfor poverty

disproportionalUnemployment

increase

Cuts in social security

Lesssocial services

Slow-down of innovation

Disability-specific impact of austerity measures

Inhibit progress to EU policy objectives

20 million peopleout of poverty

School drop-outrates below 10%

ImplementationUNCRPD

ShrinkingLabour Market

Hardening public attitudes

Postponedaccessibilityinvestments

Age-relateddisabilities

Worsening of mental health

75% overallemployment rate

EU Disability Strategy

Overall impact of economic crisis on disabled people

11

Specific impact on UNCRPD

Art. 20 Personal mobility

Art. 25 Health

Art. 24 Education

Art. 19 Independent Living

Art. 28 Adequate standard of living

and social protection

Articles of UNCRPDimpacted by

austerity measures

Art. 26 Habilitation and rehabilitation

Art. 27 Work and employment

Some frightening conclusions• Increased standardisation of care and less person-

centred and individualised services• Re-emergence of institutional solutions• Lowering level of cash benefits/services to clients• Increased standardisation of care and less person-

centred and individualised services• Reversion to medical model in eligibility assessments • Changes in national policies on personal budgets • Cuts in resources for mainstreaming• Reduced priority for independent living outcomes• Increased responsibility for families and end-users in

financing and provision of services• Postponement of pre-crisis reform plans that envisaged

UNCPRD implementation

Growing gap between UNCRPD ‘promise’ and reality in the lives

of disabled people

ENILs work ‘against the cuts’

Ringing the alarm bell in newsletters and press releases (since begin EU crisis)

First hand information on impact of ‘crisis’ measures, from grass roots level.

People who experience the impact in their daily life.

Also announced/plan measures have serious (mental health) impact

ENIL proposal for a EP Resolution (summer 2011) this was the focus of Strasbourg Freedom Drive 2011

ENIL Proposal for a Resolution of the European Parliament on the effect of cuts in public spending on persons with disabilities in the European Union

http://www.enil.eu/campaigns/resolution-against-the-cuts/

Calls on the Member States to: • abandon all announced cuts in the funding of

community-based services for persons with disabilities

• to reintroduce community-based services for persons with disabilities, such as personal assistance and direct payments, which have been abolished or downgraded as a result of cuts in public spending;

• to develop and implement national strategies to transfer the provision of care from institutions to the community

• to develop a national policy on personal assistance for people with disabilities and to allocate funding for its implementation

Hearing in EP(feb 2012)

Ad hoc working group ‘against the cuts’ (ongoing)

The working group Defend the right of Independent Living is a collaboration of European Network on Independent Living, Inclusion Europe, Mental Health Europe, Autism Europe, Disabled People Against the Cuts, European Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry and the European Association of Service providers for People with Disabilities, with the support of the European Disability Forum.

Strategy for sensitizing MEPs and realizing the resolution proposal

Lobby EP comittee on Employment and Social Affairs.

Oral question in EP (feb 2013)Good plenary debate, but no vote!

Lessons learned

• How to influence EU level policy making

• Strength of alliances & cooperation

• Importance to win MEPs for our cause

New strategy

• New Oral Question• We need minimum 40 MEPs putting their

signature under the Oral Question• Keep timing in our hands• Make use of pre-electoral period• Smart well aimed lobbying• Massive EU wide lobby campaign by IL

Movement & allies.

What now?

What to do?

• Speak about this with your national MEPs in your meetings here during the FD & later.

• Convince them of the need for EU level action to close ‘the gap’

• We want an EP resolution!

• Make them sign the Oral Question and deliver those to ENIL

Support campaign against cuts on Independent Living

http://www.enil.eu/campaigns/resolution-against-the-cuts/

Short Q&A

Question 1

What negative impact (directly or indirectly) on disabled people occurred in your region/country resulting from austerity measures and cuts? …

Question 2

What ideas/actions/campaigns were developed by CILs and DPOs in your country to counter the cuts and to defend the right on IL? What works, what doesn’t? Can we transfer some actions to other countries to support each other in the struggle on member state level?

Question 3

What can ENIL do to assist and support you and your organization in fighting cuts and defending IL? Focus on specific concrete actions.

Thank you !!!www.enil.eu

www.dpac.uk.net