Austrian National Action Plan on Disability 2012 - 2020

1. Max Rubisch Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection

2. Austrian National Action Plan on Disability 2012 - 2020 • Strategy of the Austrian Federal Government for the implementation of the CRPD • Adopted on 24 July 2012 • Eight main areas: Disability policy, Protection against Discrimination, Accessibility, Education, Employment, Independent living, Health and Rehabilitation, Awareness-raising and Information • 250 measures to be implemented until 2020 • The objectives are more important than the measures! Max Rubisch Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection

3. National Action Plan on DisabilityIndependent Living – Objectives (1) • Objective: living as independently as possible and participate in all areas of society • This includes the possibility of entering into a partnership, marrying or having a family • Different support services and benefits must be available for the varying needs and different stages of life • Housing: a de-institutionalisation programme is necessary in all nine Länder • Self-advocacy has to be supported • Peer counselling has to be supported Max Rubisch Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection

4. National Action Plan on DisabilityIndependent Living – Objectives (2) • Personal assistanceshouldbeextendedandofferedfor all types of disabilities • The rules on personal assistance at regional levelshouldbestandardisedthroughoutthecountry • Political adult educationhastobeaccessibletopeople with sensoryorlearningdisabilities • Official documentsmust beunderstandableforpeople with learningdisabilities • All sectors of thepopulationhavetobeincluded in theinformationsociety Max Rubisch Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection

5. Work programme of the Austrian Federal Government 2013 - 2018 • Objective: inclusion of persons with disabilities in all areas of life • CRPD and National Action Plan have to be implemented • To enable independent living, large institutions have to be broken down and alternative support services have to be developed • Personal assistance at work is on the same level throughout Austria - Personal assistance in other areas of life should be harmonised by the Länder • Accessibility is a condition for equal opportunities • Guardianship will be reduced, supported decision-making will be supported Max Rubisch Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection

6. UN – Disability Rights CommitteeConcluding observations (1) • Austrian State examination: dialogue of the Austrian delegation (federaland regional governments) with the Disability RightsCommittee of the UN on 2/3 September 2013 in Geneva • Concludingobservationsfrom 30 September 2013 • Congratulation: Adoption of theNational Action Plan on Disability • Concern: Austria has a federalsystem of governmentandthishasledto a fragmentation of disability policy, especially in socialservices, accessibilitystandardsandprotectionagainstdiscrimination • Recommendation: federaland regional governmentsshouldadopt an overarching legislative frameworkandpolicyon disability Max Rubisch Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection

7. UN – Disability Rights CommitteeConcluding observations (2) • Concern: over the last 20 years the population of Austrians with disabilities living in institutions has increased (13.000 persons in 2010) – this is contrary to Article 19 CRPD and leaves these persons vulnerable to violence and abuse • Recommendation: Federal government and governments of Länder should step up efforts towards de-institutionalization and allowing persons with disabilities to choose where they live • Concern: 55.000 Austrians are under guardianship (2012), half of them in respect of all aspects of life – this is old-fashioned and contrary to Article 12 CRPD • Recommendation: replace guardianship with supported decision-making and ensure that persons with disabilities have access to it Max Rubisch Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection

8. UN – Disability Rights CommitteeConcluding observations (3) • Committeecommends Austria foritsvariouspersonal assistanceprogrammes • Concern: personal assistanceprogrammesare not availabletopersons with psychosocialdisabilitiesand not all coverpersons with intellectualdisabilities • Recommendation: Austria shouldensurethatthe different personal assistanceprogrammes • providesufficientfinancialassistancetoensurethat a person can live independently in thecommunity • areharmonizedthroughoutthecountry • aremadeavailableto all persons with intellectualandpsychosocialdisabilities Max Rubisch Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection

9. UN – Disability Rights CommitteeConcluding observations (4) • Concern: there is no progress towards invlusive education in Austria, the number of children in special schools is increasing • Recommendation: greater efforts should be made to support students with disabilities in all areas of inclusive education from kindergarten to secondary school to universities • Concern: in Austria all persons, including persons with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities, have the right to vote, but the elections are not always accessible • Recommendation: voting information should be provided in all accessible formats, the voting procedure should be fully accessible to all persons with disabilities Max Rubisch Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection

10. Concluding observationsImplementation in Austria (1) • Coordination of disability policy: since September 2014 talksbetweenthe Federal MinistryforSocialAffairsandthegovernments of the Länder are on-going with a view on reaching an agreement „Inclusive Disability Policy“ – thisincludes also thetopics of • accessibility • de-institutionalization • personal assistance • protectionagainstviolence • National PreventionMechanism: Since 2012 the Austrian Ombudsman Board anditsCommitteesarecontrollinginstitutionsforpersons with disabilities in ordertopreventviolenceandabuse Max Rubisch Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection

11. Concluding observationsImplementation in Austria (2) • Inclusive Education: the Federal Ministry of Education andthe Länder arepreparing „inclusive pilotregions“ for inclusive education (thenationwideextensionisplanneduntil 2020) • Project „Support of independentliving“: since March 2014 a workinggroup in the Federal Ministry of Justice together with the Länder works on creating alternatives toguardianship • Participation in politicalandpubliclife: moreandmoreofficialandpoliticaldocumentsareavailable in an „easy toread“ – version, since 2013 thereareimprovements in thevotingprocedureforpersons with visualdisabilities Max Rubisch Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection