Year of disabled losing out to Iraq crisis

Date: 03/04/03

By Martin Banks

EFFORTS to highlight the plight of disabled people have been "totally overshadowed" by events in Iraq, it has been claimed.

There are about 38 million disabled people in the EU - 10 of the population - and 2003 was designated European Year of People with Disabilities (EYPD) with the aim of raising awareness of this.

But Europe's Children - Our Concern, a Brussels-based organisation which aids families of youngsters with learning difficulties, says the objectives of the year have been "overwhelmed" by the current international crisis and this has led to "nothing" being achieved.

Anne Ganten, a volunteer with the group, said: "Iraq seems to have a complete stranglehold on the media and, even though we are nearly a third of the way through the year, we have heard little or nothing of European Year of People with Disabilities."

The European Commission has assigned €12 million to the initiative. Even where the EYPD has been mentioned, Ganten is concerned there is too much focus on people with a physical handicap at the expense of those with learning difficulties, or other "hidden" disabilities.

She says it is little-known that people such as Jackie Stewart, the former motor racing world champion, and film star Tom Cruise are disabled.

"It is not immediately evident but both are dyslexic. It is possible for a person to overcome dyslexia or other learning difficulties but it requires understanding and support from the person's environment. This is one of the things we had hoped the EYPD would highlight but, so far, all promises of action by various policymakers have come to nothing," she said.

A spokesman for Anna Diamantopoulou, the social affairs commissioner, said: "The EU is looking to encourage momentum for real change for disabled people in the workplace and beyond.

"But member states, NGOs and other stakeholders must take up the baton so that we see real results."

• This is the first in a series of articles linked to the European Year of People with Disabilities.

Efforts to highlight the plight of disabled people have been 'totally overshadowed' by events in Iraq, it has been claimed.