About 100,000 people with (multiple) mental disabilities live in Hungary; most are cared for by their families, three-quarters of whom fall below the poverty line, while roughly 20,000 are housed in large homes. They and their families usually live apart from society. The Disability Rights Programme is fighting on many levels for the rights of these people. That means putting pressure on political decision-makers, public awareness campaigns, concrete proposals for reform of almost automatic guardianship, for the right to vote and for the right to education for children with mental disabilities. Increasingly, the affected are bolstered in their efforts to defend their rights themselves.
Disability Rights Programme
Lastnik projekta: Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU) / Társaság a Szabadságjogokért (TASZ)
Odgovorna oseba: Tamas Verdes
2012
1,000 Euro Prize
HU
Civilna družba / Socialno gospodarstvo
Raznolikost
Izobraževanje
What is it about?
Pohvala žirije
People with (multiple) mental disabilities in Hungary are supposed to remain invisible, with the idea that they should be categorically not allowed to vote, should be afforded as little access to education and work as possible, and should behave quietly, hidden behind family or institutional walls. The Disability Rights Programme puts a spanner in the works. The struggle for the political and social rights of some 100,000 citizens is becoming wider and more intensive, and affected persons in particular are themselves becoming more active. We think this is an excellent endeavour and hope you will persevere.