Brussels, 08/01/2003 (Agence Europe) - Throughout 2003, "European Year of People with Disabilities", the disabled and their organisations, at all levels, European, national, regional and local, will be taking action in order to promote equal rights and the full participation of the disabled in society.
In an effort to attain these objectives, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), whose slogan "One for all and all for one", is stressing that "access to training and jobs are the key to enable everyone to make the most of their qualities, capabilities and skills regardless of the disabilities they may have". In a press release the ETUC indicates that its goal is: equal rights to be observed in recruitment, retention and career development, as well as job re-design; the right to education and life-long learning in schools, further and higher education; dignity through the provision of guaranteed resources and a decent income for people with disabilities, suitable, specially-adapted housing, quality of care, accessible buildings and public transport. On 1-3 March in Salonika, the ETUC will be organising in collaboration with the European Disability Forum a European conference on the difficulties encountered by the disabled.
The President of the EDF, Yannis Vardakastanis recently indicated that more than 50 million people in Europe suffered from a disability and that these people had the same rights as other citizens but that this was often not respected in practice. The EDF is therefore calling for immediate and complete legislation against all kinds of discrimination, removing the existing barriers that prevent the disabled from using all their capabilities in social participation and autonomously. The Forum is also calling on the EU to contribute to the promotion of rights for the disabled on a world scale by taking an active part in the preparatory work for a UN Convention on disabled rights.