AUSTRIA: AOB COMMENTS ON DRAFT NATIONAL PLAN OF ACTION FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

The Austrian Ombudsman Board (AOB) has commented on the Draft National Plan of Action for Persons with Disabilities that was recently tabled by the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection. The AOB welcomes the National Action Plan (NAP) in general but also identifies several deficiencies.

Overall the draft NAP misses the occasion to solve different long-known problems such as the lack of information, bad accessibility and differing laws throughout the Austrian provinces, points the Austrian Ombudsman Board (AOB) out in its statement.

About 1.7 million people in Austria are affected by different aspects of bad accessibility; their problems form an important part of the daily business of the members of the Austrian Ombudsman Board. In several areas the draft NAP lacks concrete suggestions. The AOB requests concrete measures such as harmonizing Austrian building laws, including a representative of an organisation for people with disabilities in important infrastructure projects and allocating public subsidies solely to projects which meet the technical requirements of accessibility.

The AOB also mentions problems within the educational system. Financial subsidies for children with special needs lack clear legal directives and are therefore often an outcome of goodwill decisions by the public administration. Although the promotion of an inclusive educational system as mentioned in the draft NAP is highly appreciated by the AOB, the Ombudsmen point out that Austria so far does not fully fulfil its obligations resulting from the United Nations Convention for the Rights of People with Disabilities.