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European Union of the Deaf

EUD

Our mission statement is to promote, advance and protect the rights of and opportunities for Deaf people in the European Union.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Cristina Maestre (Member of the European Parliament)

31 Jan 2024 · Meeting to discuss Petition 1056/2016

Meeting with Ádám Kósa (Member of the European Parliament)

13 Dec 2023 · The current challenges of the deaf community living in the European Union.

Meeting with Brando Benifei (Member of the European Parliament)

7 Nov 2023 · Exchange of views on the European Disability Card's proposal

Meeting with Ádám Kósa (Member of the European Parliament)

7 Nov 2023 · Establishing the European Disability Card and the European Parking Card for persons with disabilities

Response to European Disability Card

31 Oct 2023

The European Union of the Deaf (EUD) welcomes the Commissions proposal for a directive establishing an EU Disability Card (EDC). EUD has been a longstanding supporter of the EDC initiative and sees it as a significant step towards fulfilling the rights of deaf people to the freedom of movement in the EU. EUD has now done a first analysis of the proposal for a Directive for an EDC from the perspective of the European deaf community. This analysis revealed the ways in which the Card will positively benefit deaf people in the EU as well as how the current version of the Directive falls short of ensuring their right to freedom of movement. Below, you will find our main recommendations for a more robust EU Disability Card: 1) For the EU Disability Card to be a genuine tool to facilitate the freedom of movement of persons with disabilities, including deaf people, the scope of the Directive must be expanded to include all areas of society that are not covered by social security, including to transport, education in the framework of EU Mobility Programmes, facilitate employment in the transition phase to access the national disability benefit system when moving abroad, and health, whereby the Card facilitates the provision of accessibility and reasonable accommodation measures, rather than merely nice to have benefits. 2) The definition for reasonable accommodation found in the UN CRPD must be added to the definitions section of the directive as this concept causes confusion amongst EU Member States and service providers. 3) When a person is applying for the Card, they should have a choice of what to include about their preferred form of reasonable accommodation, e.g. disability type, in the most suitable manner, technically speaking, including the option to not state anything. For instance, this could take the form of a QR code which could link to information about the sort of accessibility and reasonable accommodation measures required for that type of disability. For example, for deaf people, it could state that sign language interpretation is required to facilitate communication. 4) The Directive must include a provision for an online EU-level information platform to be created to accompany the Card, accessible in the EU national sign languages. This platform should include information about the different types of services available in each Member States and what different accessibility measures are available with use of the Card. For deaf people, this would mean accessible information provided in the national sign language or closed captioning in each EU Member States. 5) The Directive must have a provision foreseeing the obligation for EU Member States to develop and run training programmes in the sectors within the scope of the Card to facilitate information sharing and awareness-raising on the types of accessibility and reasonable accommodation measures required persons with disabilities. For instance, for deaf people, this would include the provision of accredited and professional national sign language interpretation to ensure the accessibility of information and communication. 6) The Directive should be accompanied with the obligation for common European guidelines to be developed for service providers on how to ensure accessibility and reasonable accommodation. For example, for deaf people, their requirements differ considerably to many other disabilities as the barriers they face relate to the accessibility of information and communication. 7) Each EU Member States public authority implementing the Card should provide a) clear and easily accessible information on how to apply for the Card, and b) all this information must be available in the Member States national sign language(s).
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Meeting with Helena Dalli (Commissioner) and

24 Nov 2022 · National sign languages, the right of deaf persons to have access to information and the provision of sign language interpretation by the EU institutions.

Response to Social and labour aspects of the climate transition

19 Nov 2021

On behalf of the European Union of the Deaf, please find attached our response to the Commission’s forthcoming proposal for a Council Recommendation on addressing the social and labour aspects of the just transition towards climate neutrality.
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Response to Improving access to emergency services through the single European emergency number ‘112’

29 Oct 2021

The European Union of the Deaf welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback to the roadmap. Essentially important service - access to emergency communications, whether it is when roaming or not, for deaf persons across the EU has yet to become a reality. EUD reminds that the delegated Act must be coherent with the accessibility requirements of the European Accessibility Act for any electronic communication services, related products and answering Emergency communications to the single European emergency number “112”. The Member States must, as soon as possible ensure that their PSAPs use the same communication means as received. Namely by using synchronised voice and text (including real-time text), or, where the video is provided, voice, text (including real-time text) and video synchronised as total conversation. We have attached our detailed feedback and recommendations.
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Meeting with Rodrigo Ballester (Cabinet of Commissioner Tibor Navracsics)

20 Sept 2017 · Inclusive Education

Meeting with Marianne Thyssen (Commissioner)

25 Apr 2016 · Disability policy