Statement: Accessibility and mobility

Raising awareness of and breaking down barriers to freedom of movement across country borders is a priority area of Nordic Cooperation. The EU is also making a special effort to break down barriers for people with disabilities. Activities in this area promote freedom of movement for people who are at risk of being hindered by barriers to freedom of movement due to laws, rules, and administrative practices in the Nordic countries.

Read more in the programme: Freedom of movement

What barriers do you face when travelling in the Nordic region, studying in another Nordic country, or moving within the Nordic region? 

Nordic youth representatives of organisations for young people with disabilities agree that there are two overarching barriers to travelling, studying or moving within the Nordic region: lack of information and restrictions on bringing personal assistants. 

In general, youth with disabilities find it hard to obtain information about accessibility, their rights and their opportunities. Furthermore, they also feel that key contact persons such as student councillors/coordinators, housing coordinators, potential employers etc. also lack the necessary information and knowledge of accessibility, rights and opportunities for persons with disabilities. 

When studying in another Nordic country, youth with disabilities often have questions about what kind of facilitation possibilities universities offer, what programmes are accessible, whether affordable and accessible housing is available, what type of assistance arrangement is it possible to get, etc. Furthermore, when working in another Nordic country, youth with disabilities have similar questions about accessible working environments and assistance schemes. And lastly, for travelling or moving to another Nordic country, there are questions about accessibility, as well as the need for more information about the situation for disabled people in that particular country. 

In general, it’s very hard to find information about accessibility and rights when travelling or moving. Not knowing before you get there is a huge barrier to travelling or moving, because it means that you cannot plan or prepare. 

The second overarching barrier is the right to bring your personal aids or assistants. In general, youth with disabilities from every Nordic country experience restriction or law about funding or the right to bring assistants to another country. Some are allowed to bring assistants but can’t afford them because they must pay for them themselves. Others can only be accompanied by their personal assistants to another country for a restricted period. This makes it virtually impossible to study or work in another country, especially if you aren’t provided with the necessary personal assistants in the Nordic country in which you want to study. 

Concerning both the lack of information and restrictions on bringing personal assistants, two solutions were suggested. First, youth with disabilities want a more formal and generalised way of assessing accessibility in the Nordic countries, as well as a platform, such as an international website or app, where they can easily obtain information about accessibility. Some of the participants suggested that fire inspectors or food or health authorities could check accessibility measures when also checking for fire hazards, or food or health measures. This service would need to be publicly funded in order to stay available and updated. Secondly, youth with disabilities want an EU disability card, similar to an EU health card, which states that you have right to the same aid, assistance and rights as you do in your own country. 

In addition to the overarching barriers mentioned above, youth with disabilities also pointed out that they still experience discrimination and prejudice in the labour market and work environment. Having experienced discrimination and prejudice, or the fear of experiencing this, creates a barrier to working generally, but especially to working in another country where they are unfamiliar with the culture, their rights and their opportunities. Furthermore, the lack of flexibility in laws regulating the welfare of people with disabilities was also described as a barrier.

Youth with disabilities often feel that their individual needs are not met unless their needs fit into a box. Some examples of laws and regulations that are perceived as inflexible and therefore a barrier to move, travel or study in another Nordic country are laws and regulations regulating personal assistance, scholarships and student housing, to name a few.