Abstract
Over the past three decades, Europe has experienced an evolution from what has been called the “medical model” of disability (traditionally seen to be more paternalistic) towards a “social model”. This inclusive approach increasingly recognises the rights of persons with disabilities, as subjects of human rights, was assumed at the political level in the European Union (EU) in 1996. It was not until 10 years later that this model could be found in the European legal system after being adopted by the United Nations of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its subsequent ratification by the EU. The EU promotes the active inclusion and full participation of disabled people in society, in line with the EU’s human rights centred approach to issues surrounding disabilities; disability is a rights issue and not a matter of discretion. This approach is also at the core of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Person with Disabilities.
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Notes
- 1.
Resolution of the representatives of the Governments of the Member States of the European Communities meeting within the Council of 21 December 1981 on the social integration of handicapped people. Official Journal C 347, 31/12/1981, 1.
- 2.
OJ L 225, 12.8.1986, 43.
- 3.
OJ C 186, 2.7.1999, 3.
- 4.
OJ C 77, 6.4.1981, 27.
- 5.
88/231/EEC: Council Decision of 18 April 1988 establishing a second Community action programme for disabled people (Helios), OJ L 104, 23/04/1988, 0038–0044.
- 6.
COM 96, 406 final.
- 7.
OJ C 12, 13.01.1997.
- 8.
OJ L 167, 12.6.1998, 25–28.
- 9.
OJ C 186, 02.07.1999.
- 10.
COM/2000/0284 final. Communication from the Commission - Towards a barrier free Europe for people with disabilities.
- 11.
OJ L 303, 2.12.2000, 16–22.
- 12.
Council Decision 2000/750/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a Community action programme to combat discrimination (2001 to 2006). OJ L 303, 2.12.2000, 23–28.
- 13.
Council Decision 2001/903/EC of 3 December 2001 on the European Year of People with Disabilities 2003. OJ L 335, 19.12.2001, 15–20.
- 14.
Communication of 30 October 2003, Equal opportunities for people with disabilities: a European action plan. COM (2003) 650 final; and Communication—Situation of disabled people in the European Union: the European Action Plan 2008-2009 (COM (2007) 738 final).
- 15.
OJ L 204, 26.7.2006, 1–9.
- 16.
https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities.html Accessed 16 March 2018; Council Decision of 26 November 2009 concerning the conclusion, by the European Community, of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2010/48/EC). Official Journal L 23, 27.01.2010.
- 17.
COM(2010) 636 final, European Disability Strategy 2010-2020: A Renewed Commitment to a Barrier-Free Europe.
- 18.
COM(2008) 412 final, Renewed social agenda: Opportunities, access and solidarity in twenty-first century Europe.
- 19.
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=LEGISSUM:em0008&from=ES Accessed 16 March 2018.
- 20.
Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 11 July 2006. Sonia Chacón Navas v Eurest Colectividades SA. Case C-13/05. ECLI:EU:C:2006:456.
- 21.
Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 17 July 2008. S. Coleman v Attridge Law and Steve Law. ECLI:EU:C:2008:415.
- 22.
COM(2010) 636 final: European Disability Strategy 2010–2020: A Renewed Commitment to a Barrier-Free Europe, http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2010:0636:FIN:en:PDF Accessed 16 March 2018.
- 23.
Commission staff working document, Progress Report on the implementation of the European Disability Strategy (2010–2020) http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=16995&langId=en Accessed 16 March 2018.
- 24.
United Nations, Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Concluding observations on the initial report of the European Union, Adopted by the Committee at its fourteenth session (17 August-4 September 2015). http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=14429&langId=en Accessed 16 March 2018.
- 25.
http://www.disability-europe.net/ Accessed 16 March 2018.
- 26.
http://www.disability-europe.net/dotcom Accessed 16 March 2018.
- 27.
Commission staff working document. Initial plan to implement the European Disability Strategy 2010–2020. List of Actions 2010–2015. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=SEC:2010:1324:FIN:en:PDF Accessed 16 March 2018.
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Vidal Prado, C. (2019). Disabled Person. In: Bartolini, A., Cippitani, R., Colcelli, V. (eds) Dictionary of Statuses within EU Law. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00554-2_20
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