European Commission (EC) published Union of Equality: Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 to achieve further progress in ensuring the full participation of persons with disabilities. This new and strengthened strategy will serve as a guide for EU Member States and EU institutions, building on the achievements of the previous decade and offering solutions to the challenges ahead.
The strategy aims to progress on all areas of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, both at EU and Member State level. Its goal is to ensure that persons with disabilities:
- enjoy human rights,
- have equal opportunities,
- have equal access to participate in society and economy,
- are able to decide where, how and with whom they live,
- can move freely in the EU regardless of their support needs,
- no longer experience discrimination.
The most important aspects for the Deaf community were covered in paragraph 8.2. Accessibility of buildings and communication. With the new strategy, the EC will scale up efforts to ensure accessibility, including innovative projects, increasing the accessibility of publications, notably of EU law and policies, providing training for staff and supporting learning of interpretation in International Sign Language. More specifically, the EC will:
- Adopt (in 2021) an Action Plan on web accessibility, to be shared and promoted in all EU institutions, bodies and agencies in view of ensuring compliance of EU websites, documents published on these websites and online platforms, with European accessibility standards.
- Improve (by 2023) accessibility across its audiovisual communications and graphic design services as well as of its publications and events.