2005-11-16
European Parliament Declaration on DB
Text from Disability Intergroup Newsletter ISSUE 16 – APRIL 2004 page 8.
The Declaration calls on the institutions of the European Union and the Member States to recognise and implement the rights of people who are deafblind. It declares that deafblind people should have the same rights as are enjoyed by all EU citizens and that these should be enforced by appropriate legislation in each Member State. They should include: -the right to participate in the democratic life of the European Union; -the right to work and access training, with appropriate lighting, contrast and adaptations; -the right to person-centred health and social care; -the right to lifelong learning; -the right to receive one-to-one support where appropriate from communicatorguides, deafblind interpreters and/or intervenors; The European Parliament President shall now notify the European Parliament of this successful outcome and publish the names of the signatories in the minutes. The Declaration shall be forwarded to the other EU institutions together with the names of the signatories. This written Declaration provides an important recognition and political support for the rights of deafblind persons and will provide a means for the deafblind organisations to press for further measures to combat the serious discrimination deafblind persons face in their daily lives and promote their independence. The Disability Intergroup and the European DeafBlind Network would like to thank all those MEPs who supported this Declaration with their signature.