Disability policy
The objectives of disability policy are: a social community based on diversity; a society designed to allow people with disabilities of all ages full participation in the life of the community; equal opportunities in life for girls and boys, women and men with disabilities.
Work on disability policy is to focus particularly on:
identifying and removing obstacles to full participation in society for people with disabilities; preventing and combating discrimination against people with disabilities; enabling children, young people and adults with disabilities to achieve independence and self-determination.
Scope of policy
The policy area covers measures to remove obstacles to full participation in society, action to combat discrimination and individual support and service measures. The measures are cross-sectoral and extend to practically all policy areas.
Direction of policy
Sweden must be an open society where differences and diversity are welcomed, where people themselves have the chance to take the crucial decisions that concern their lives. The Government wants to renew disability policy. This requires fresh thinking to improve quality, a diversity of actors and broad freedom of choice for the individual. People with extensive disabilities must feel confident that welfare is available when it is needed.
Greater freedom of choice for people with extensive disabilities requires that society become more accessible, that people are not discriminated against, that those who need rehabilitation and habilitation are offered it and that there is a varied and flexible range of support and service measures as well as modern assistive technology. The direction of disability policy efforts will therefore be to identify and remove obstacles to accessibility, to strengthen efforts for preventing and combating discrimination and, through various individually-adapted support measures, to give children, young people and adults with disabilities the opportunity to achieve independence and self-determination. The national action plan for disability policy - From patient to citizen - is the basis of the Government´s efforts in this area.
The Government gives priority to work to increase employment for people with disabilities and to identify and remove the obstacles to participation in working life. Those unable to take part in the regular labour market must be offered meaningful employment with great freedom of choice. It is particularly important that young people with disabilities have the chance to enter the labour market at an early stage.
The work to make Sweden more accessible needs to be accelerated. In addition to the labour market, this particularly applies to public transport and easily remedied obstacles in buildings and public places. The action plan contains clear accessibility objectives in these areas that should be achieved no later than 2010.
Government agencies and institutes
The policy area involves the Swedish Agency for Disability Policy Coordination (Handisam)
The Swedish Handicap Institute (SHI) is a national resource centre in the field of assistive devices and accessibility for people with disabilities. It is run by central government and the interest organisation the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions.
