How does the national disability legislation of EU countries compare to the American Disabilities Act?
For some things, US legislation is more advanced. In the area of accessibility, for example, they have a lot more put in place. Also, while we do in Europe have anti-discrimination legislation on employment and training, there are some countries which are better in certain areas. Some are better when it comes to access to education for children with disabilities; some are better in terms of accessibility, and within that some are better in terms of their built environment while others are better when it comes to transport. So the overall picture is patchy. Can you be more specific? Which countries do well in which specific areas? In terms of education, the legislation which is most far-reaching is in Italy, as it’s really an obligation there that all education has to include children with disabilities. In the UK and Ireland there is a good framework of anti-discrimination legislation which covers different areas, while in the Scandinavian countries and Austria, you have good accessibil
