Disability rights in Europe
Accessibility law did not appear from nowhere. It follows from a human rights treaty that the European Union and all its member states have ratified. This section covers the articles that matter in practice and the European instruments that put them into effect.
Guides in this section
Article 12 CRPD: legal capacity and supported decision-making
Guardianship regimes across Europe conflict with Article 12 of the CRPD. What the Committee actually said, what supported decision-making looks like, and where reform has happened.
Article 19 CRPD: independent living and community inclusion
Independent living is not living alone and it is not a small group home. What Article 19 requires, what General Comment No. 5 says about institutions, and where personal assistance fits.
Deinstitutionalisation of children with disabilities in Europe
Council of Europe Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)2, the CRPD obligations behind it, and why institutional placement of disabled children persists in the EU despite both.
Inclusive education: what Article 24 requires and what it does not
Inclusion, integration and segregation are three different things. General Comment No. 4 draws the line, and most European systems sit on the wrong side of it.
The right to vote: Article 29 CRPD and disenfranchisement in Europe
Several EU states still remove voting rights through guardianship. What Article 29 requires, what the courts have said, and what an accessible election actually needs.
The UN CRPD: the treaty behind European disability law
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, why the EU itself is a party to it, the articles that matter most, and what the General Comments add.
Other sections
Web accessibility in Europe
What the European Accessibility Act requires, how WCAG 2.2 and EN 301 549 fit together, and how to test a website without buying a tool first.
Easy-to-read language
Easy-to-read is a set of rules for writing that people with intellectual disabilities can understand. The European standard, the difference from plain language, and how texts are checked.
Assistive technology
Screen readers, communication aids and reading support explained without vendor language: what each category actually does, who it is for, and what to check before buying.