Category: European policies

Ablebook at the European Disability Forum with Speech by CEO Andreas Vasiliou

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Ablebook participated in the European Disability Forum (EDF) Annual General Assembly in Cyprus, strengthening the voice of accessibility at a European level.

As part of the event, Ablebook’s CEO & Co-Founder, Andreas Vasiliou, delivered a speech in front of representatives of the European Union, organizations, and institutions from across Europe, sharing a strong message about the importance of building a truly equal and inclusive society.

During his speech, Andreas Vasiliou shared his personal journey as a person with quadriplegic cerebral palsy, highlighting the challenges he faced both in education and later in the labor market.

“The problem is not disability. The problem is the barriers created by systems that are not designed for everyone,” he stated.

He also spoke about the creation of Ablebook, which was born through real-life experiences and the need for a tool that would support people with disabilities in their everyday lives, promoting autonomy and equal participation in society.

Today, Ablebook is evolving into a comprehensive digital accessibility ecosystem through collaborations with businesses, municipalities, and institutions, offering solutions that improve the daily lives of its users.

Special emphasis was placed on the new feature AbleJobs, which aims to bridge the gap between people with disabilities and the labor market by creating equal and accessible employment opportunities.

Additionally, Ablebook presented its new features: AbleFix, AbleActivities, and AbleBook&Go, aimed at enhancing daily independence and social participation.

Closing his speech, the CEO of Ablebook called on EU Member States to move toward stronger and more binding accessibility policies, emphasizing that equality and dignity should never be considered optional.

Ablebook’s participation at the European Disability Forum confirms the company’s active role in promoting accessibility, social inclusion, and innovation, with the vision of creating a Europe without barriers.

European Accessibility Forum: It will take at least four years for the European Disability Card to become a reality.

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The card aims to facilitate the exercise of the right to free movement.

The European Disability Card, which will ensure common rights for people with disabilities in EU countries, is expected to take at least four years to become a reality. The issue of the European Disability Card was already raised in 2009 through the European Accessibility Forum by its president, Ioannis Vardakastanis, who is also the president of the National Confederation of Disabled People (ESAMEA).
 

Speaking to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA) on the occasion of his speech about the European Disability Card at the National Informative Meeting “Endocrinology in Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Disease,” which will take place from April 19 to

“The European Disability Card is the identity of disability. I call it the European disability passport. It will ensure that all persons with disabilities, traveling from one EU country to another, will have some common rights. What these rights will be depends on the benefits provided by each country, such as benefits like free movement, access to cultural, sports, archaeological, tourist sites, and other benefits that different countries have, as there are not the same benefits in every country. In Greece, for example, we have the National Disability Card, which is currently digital, and I think around 70,000 Greeks have it. It is planned that when it takes physical form, the National Card will be printed on one side and the European one on the other.”

For the European Disability Card to become a reality, as Mr. Vardakastanis points out, it is not enough for it to be approved by the European Parliament and the Council of Europe, to become a Directive and to be published in the Official Journal of the European Communities, but it must also be incorporated into national legislation within 42 months of publication. He notes that the matter will progress after the European elections and the reconstitution of the European Parliament, and he estimates that publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities will take place next September.

“The purpose of the European Disability Card is to serve the exercise of the right to free movement, which is one of the fundamental principles on which the EU is based. Along with this, there will also be the European Parking Card, which already exists but comes to correct some issues. The European Disability Card concerns all people with disabilities. We wanted, but it was not accepted, the mutual recognition of disability certification. That is, when a person with a disability goes to a European country, the disability certification they have from their country of origin should be recognized, and they should not need a new certification.”

“When a person with a disability goes to another country for studies, work, etc., there is a gap created until their disability is certified in that country. The European Disability Card will cover this gap because the disability certification from the country of origin will be temporarily recognized until the disability is certified in the foreign country. However, mutual recognition of disability is not provided for with the European Disability Card. The important thing is that we are laying the foundation to continue our efforts for a fully integrated approach, which will take some more time. Each country has its own legislation, its own problems, its own history regarding these matters, and it takes time. I don’t justify them; I believe they should have accepted mutual recognition,” added Mr. Vardakastanis.

“Access Denied: Websites of European Political Parties Inaccessible to People with Disabilities”

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The serious deficiencies in the accessibility of the websites of major European political parties make it very difficult for people with disabilities to be informed about the European Elections.

“People with disabilities were almost completely ignored by political parties on their websites in view of the EU elections, according to a report compiled by the European Disability Forum (EDF) and the independent non-profit Foundation Funka.”
“The main conclusion is that citizens with disabilities struggle to access the content and, therefore, are not adequately informed to exercise direct democracy.”

“The report analyzed the websites of the seven main European political families – the European People’s Party, the Party of European Socialists, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, the European Conservatives and Reformists, the European Greens, the European Left, and Identity and Democracy.”

“The main conclusion is that citizens with disabilities struggle to access the content and, therefore, are not adequately informed to exercise direct democracy.”

“According to the study, European political parties neglect their obligation to provide information to all voters, whether they have specific accessibility needs or not. In doing so, they create a barrier not only for people with disabilities but also for the democratic process itself. Our democratic systems and political procedures rely on citizens being informed when they vote. However, as this report shows, political parties seeking the votes of over 100 million Europeans with disabilities largely fail in their duty to provide accessible and reliable political information.”

“The results are very disappointing, but not surprising – they reflect the widespread lack of attention to information accessibility in the political world,” said Ioannis Vardakastanis, President of the EDF and the ESAmeA, to Euronews.”

“These findings at the European level may also indicate that national political parties face similar challenges, according to the central body representing the rights of 100 million people with disabilities in the EU, the EDF.”

“Political parties must ensure that their communication is accessible to every voter – including voters with disabilities,” added Mr. Vardakastanis.

“The party with the worst performance was the far-right Identity and Democracy, passing only four out of the seven criteria used for evaluating the websites. All the tested websites passed the test for automatic subtitles for deaf or hard of hearing users.”

“The EDF calls on the political parties of the EU and all political actors:”

  • “Website administrators need to be trained in the basic skills for accessible digital information.”
  • “They should use the European standard for accessible ICT (EN301549) in the procurement, design, and development of digital interfaces. The standard is free.”
  • “Users with disabilities should participate in the design, development, and testing of digital interfaces to ensure they work for everyone.”

“Finally, they encourage all political actors to actively involve organizations of people with disabilities in accordance with the updated motto of the disability movement: ‘Nothing About Us Without Us.'”