Disability in Europe 2012: Is There One European Community? - Carla Broek

IDRAC 2012 Presentation - 8:00 am PDT,  August 4, 2012

Carla Broek is a Belgian project manager and expert on Internet and other online media accessibility. She led the Virtual Ability team that evaluated accessibility of online course materials for the College Open Textbooks collaborative. She spoke at last year’s IDRAC2011 conference as part of a panel on International Disability Rights.

The European Disability Strategy was unveiled in 2011. The Lisbon Treaty provides a legal basis for main-streaming disability issues into other policies. It also gives a legal status to the European Union’s Charter of Fundamental Rights.

European Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding will present a proposal for a 'European Accessibility Act' before the end of 2012 as a key element of the European Disability Strategy. The European Commission is required to ensure that the needs of people with disabilities are taken into account during the development and implementation of all EU policies and legislation.

Broek will discuss the current situation related to disability issues that exist in Europe under the European Union. She states, “There is no 'one' European community. That's the problem. Every country acts on its own.”