Disability Rights and Cross-National Disparities in Europe

Abstract

Europeans with disabilities continue to face lack of opportunity in areas including education and employment. The extent of such disparities, and policies to address them, vary across the member states of the European Union. In 2000, an EU directive on employment equality set antidiscrimination rules, including requirements for employers to offer reasonable accommodations to disabled workers, that were subsequently adopted by member states. But a comparison of disability policy in France and Sweden shows that divergent approaches to labor rights remain in place, with France relying on quotas while Sweden offers job training programs.