Brussels - the European capital of exclusion
Brussels is supposed to be the capital of Europe – try to change your point of view and place yourself in a wheelchair.
Brussels – the European capital of exclusion?!
De : Rika.ESSER
Date : Tue, 15 May 2001 12:33:36 +0200
You will find out that Brussels is not at all adapted to the needs of wheelchair users – I would rather call it hostile to people with disabilities.
Why?
o public transport is not accessible to people with a mobility impairment
o buildings are not at all or hardly accessible to people using wheelchairs
o sidewalks are often impossible to manoeuvre with a wheelchair
o accessible housing for people with disabilities is hard to obtain
. . . the list can be continued.
How many people with disabilities have you seen since you are in Brussels? I bet these amount to only a few ones. I interpret this as an indicator of the hostility of the environment, that is characterised by barriers.
When I came from Germany to Brussels for the first time, the fact that this city is so inaccessible dazzled me – Brussels is not some hillybilly town but the capital of Europe!! Even in other European cities, efforts at making cities more accessible have at least started, even though they are far from being perfect. It is hard to detect any tangible results in Brussels, though.
In the end a decision needs to be taken as to what kind of Europe we want to create:
o Do we want to create a society that values human rights? In the end, disability rights are immediately related to very basic human rights and citizen’s rights.
o Do we want to create an inclusive society that makes use of potentials of ALL citizens’ potentials?
If the answer is “yes”, we need a paradigm shift in disability affairs:
o From charity to equality
o People with disabilities should be perceived as equal partners in decision-making processes
o From pity to citizen rights
o People with disabilities should have a right to equal access and opportunities
o From marginalisation to inclusion
o Our societies need to make use of abilities and talents of people with disabilities
Access is power
also in the sense of physical access to European institutions, as well as job opportunities for people with disabilities in EU institutions.
Better access needs to be realised in collaboration with disabled experts. Thus, more people with disabilities are needed to work as experts in their own field, especially in Brussels. Workplace and living environment cannot be separated in that respect.
The EU already made a decision in favour of non-discrimination: The Amsterdam Treaty includes disabled citizens in their anti-discrimination clause, Article 13.
Now we need to see action and progress in Brussels, too, to implement non-discrimination and universal access!!
The gap between legislation and reality is too obvious.
De : Rika.ESSER
Date : Tue, 15 May 2001 12:33:36 +0200
You will find out that Brussels is not at all adapted to the needs of wheelchair users – I would rather call it hostile to people with disabilities.
Why?
o public transport is not accessible to people with a mobility impairment
o buildings are not at all or hardly accessible to people using wheelchairs
o sidewalks are often impossible to manoeuvre with a wheelchair
o accessible housing for people with disabilities is hard to obtain
. . . the list can be continued.
How many people with disabilities have you seen since you are in Brussels? I bet these amount to only a few ones. I interpret this as an indicator of the hostility of the environment, that is characterised by barriers.
When I came from Germany to Brussels for the first time, the fact that this city is so inaccessible dazzled me – Brussels is not some hillybilly town but the capital of Europe!! Even in other European cities, efforts at making cities more accessible have at least started, even though they are far from being perfect. It is hard to detect any tangible results in Brussels, though.
In the end a decision needs to be taken as to what kind of Europe we want to create:
o Do we want to create a society that values human rights? In the end, disability rights are immediately related to very basic human rights and citizen’s rights.
o Do we want to create an inclusive society that makes use of potentials of ALL citizens’ potentials?
If the answer is “yes”, we need a paradigm shift in disability affairs:
o From charity to equality
o People with disabilities should be perceived as equal partners in decision-making processes
o From pity to citizen rights
o People with disabilities should have a right to equal access and opportunities
o From marginalisation to inclusion
o Our societies need to make use of abilities and talents of people with disabilities
Access is power
also in the sense of physical access to European institutions, as well as job opportunities for people with disabilities in EU institutions.
Better access needs to be realised in collaboration with disabled experts. Thus, more people with disabilities are needed to work as experts in their own field, especially in Brussels. Workplace and living environment cannot be separated in that respect.
The EU already made a decision in favour of non-discrimination: The Amsterdam Treaty includes disabled citizens in their anti-discrimination clause, Article 13.
Now we need to see action and progress in Brussels, too, to implement non-discrimination and universal access!!
The gap between legislation and reality is too obvious.