[Excerpt] Everybody has the right to be protected from discriminatio

Inclusion Europe

English

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Inclusion Europe
Inclusion Europe
Galeries de la Toison d’Or
29 Chaussée d’Ixelles #393/32
B-1050 Brussels
Tel. : +32-2-502 28 15 
Fax : +32-2-502 80 10
secretariat@inclusion-europe.org
www.inclusion-europe.org
Discrimination hurts 
deep down inside!
Inclusion Europe
The European Association of Societies
of Persons with Intellectual Disability
and their Families
Inclusion Europe speaks for people
with intellectual disability and their families.
Our members are
organisations of self-advocates and
parents from 29 countries in Europe.
Inclusion Europe work with
the European Commission and
the European Parliament.
We tell them what our members want.
Inclusion Europe works in 3 main areas :   
1. The fight against discrimination
2. Human Rights of people with
intellectual disability
3. Inclusion of all people in society
Inclusion Europe publishes reports,
newsletters and other documents.
We organise conferences
in many countries.
We work closely together with all
our members in Europe.
Fighting discrimination in Europe
ReportSupported by the European Commission
EN
Inclusion Europe and its 40 members in these 29 countries are 
fighting against discrimination: 
Our members in English-speaking countries are: 
 
MENCAP    123 Golden Lane 
                   London EC1Y ORT 
                   United Kingdom 
                   Tel.: (44) 207-454.04.54 
 
ENABLE     Top Floor 
                   7 Buchanan Street 
                   Glasgow G1 3HL 
                   Scotland 
                   Tel.: (44) 141-226.45.41 
 
NAMHI        5 Fitzwilliam Place 
                   Dublin 2 
                   Ireland 
                   Tel.: (353) 1-676.60.35 
 
Art on cover page: “I and Herta” by Hans Schoberer, Austria 
ISBN 2-930078-46-4 
© Inclusion Europe 2001 
© Symbols: Widgit Software Ltd. and Mayer-Johnson Co. 
 
This publication presents the views of Inclusion Europe and does not neces-
sarily reflect the position or opinion of the European Commission. The Euro-
pean Commission and Inclusion Europe are not liable for any use that may 
be made of the information contained in this publication. 
• Austria 
• Belgium 
• Bulgaria 
• Czech  
Republic 
• Denmark 
• England 
• Estonia 
• Finland 
• France 
• Germany 
• Greece 
• Hungary 
• Ireland 
• Israel 
• Italy 
• Lithuania 
• Luxembourg 
• Macedonia 
• Moldova 
• Netherlands 
• Poland 
• Portugal 
• Romania 
• Russia 
• Scotland 
• Slovenia 
• Spain 
What is discrimination? 
Just imagine… 
 
You want to eat in a nice restaurant. 
But the owner does not let you in. 
He says he does not want to serve disabled people. 
 
You want to buy a ticket for a train. 
But there is a machine which you don’t 
understand. 
That’s why you don’t buy a ticket. 
Later you have to pay a fine. 
 
You go into a shop and look for a new shirt. 
Another customer comes in later. 
But he is served first. 
You have to wait and you get angry. 
 
You want to live in your own flat. 
But your carers say “no”. 
They don’t even speak with you about it. 
 
These are examples of discrimination. 
 
Discrimination is when people are treated badly,  
because they are different. 
For example, because they have a disability. 
 
Discrimination hurts deep down inside! 
1 
What is discrimination? 
Discrimination may take place at work. 
 
Imagine a person who does the same 
work as a colleague. 
But he gets paid less  
because he has a disability. 
This is called direct discrimination. 
 
 
Or imagine a person who wants a job as 
office cleaner. 
Then the employer says  
his office cleaners must have studied at 
high school. 
This is not necessary for the job. 
It discriminates against people  
who have not studied at high school. 
This is called indirect discrimination. 
 
 
Or imagine a disabled person who 
has found a job. 
She is very happy and proud. 
But her colleagues call her bad 
names. 
They make her life difficult. 
They don’t like disabled persons. 
But her boss does not do anything against it. 
This is called harassment. 
100
50
2 
What you can do against discrimination 
Nearly everybody sometimes 
discriminates other people: 
 
• When you say: “I don’t like coloured people”. 
• When you are against gay or lesbian people. 
• When you say: “He is stupid or an idiot”. 
• When you are against Muslims or Jews. 
• When you say: “This job is not for a woman”. 
• When you don’t like disabled people. 
 
Discrimination happens in everyday life. 
And often people do not know  
what they are talking about. 
 
Everybody can fight against discrimination! 
 
 
              Also you! 
 
 
You can … 
 
?Help people who are discriminated. 
?Tell people about how it is  
to have a disability. 
?Make friends with people who are different. 
?Try to understand people who are different. 
 
3 
Everybody has the right to be protected  
from discrimination. 
 
That is why the government must help   
people who are discriminated. 
The government must make laws  
against discrimination. 
The government must also make sure  
that these laws are followed. 
Many governments  
already made these laws. 
 
 
15 countries in Europe form the  
European Union. 
The European Union can also make laws. 
The laws of the European Union are  
a kind of “super laws”. 
They are called Directives. 
Directives must be followed  
in all countries of the European Union. 
 
The European Union has also made  
a Directive against discrimination. 
This is good for everybody. 
This Directive against discrimination  
must be followed  
in all countries of the European Union. 
What we can do against discrimination 
4 
The European Directive 
There is a European Directive that fights  
against discrimination at work. 
It will become law in most countries  
of the European Union by the end of 2003. 
Some countries can ask for more time  
until the end of 2006. 
 
The Directive includes many things  
that are important for disabled people. 
 
Protection from discrimination at work 
 
The Directive protects people from discrimination  
at work or in professional training. 
Both direct and indirect discrimination is forbidden. 
 
This means for example that disabled people  
must get equal pay for equal work. 
It means also that employers can refuse 
people only if they really cannot do the job. 
 
Protection from harassment 
 
The Directive also says that your government  
must protect you from bad treatment by other people. 
 
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50
5 
The European Directive 
Reasonable Accommodation 
 
Reasonable accommodation has  
nothing to do with the place you live in. 
It means that employers must “accommodate” 
or respond to the special needs of disabled people. 
Employers must make it possible for everybody 
to have employment or training. 
But the money and effort needed for this  
should not be too much for the employer. 
It must be reasonable. 
 
Let us take one example. 
Imagine you want to work as  
office cleaner. 
But you need longer to do the work 
than other people. 
And you need somebody to remind 
you about your work once in a while. 
 
The employer should give you  
more time to do your work. 
Somebody should come sometimes  
to check with you your work. 
This is reasonable accommodation. 
 
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50
6 
The European Directive 
Positive actions for disabled people are allowed 
 
Some countries have made laws that treat disabled 
people better than others. 
For example, they reserve some jobs  
for disabled people. 
This kind of positive action is still allowed. 
 
Defending your rights 
 
If you think that you have been  
discriminated at work,  
you should be able to fight against it. 
Your government must allow you to go to court  
or to complain in another way. 
If you complain, you do not have to prove  
that someone has discriminated you. 
This person must prove that he did not discriminate. 
 
The right to information 
 
Your government must give you information  
about your rights as worker or job applicant. 
This information must be available in a form  
that you can understand it. 
This can include easy-to-read texts,  
video or audio tapes. 
7 
Checklist 
Below you find some questions  
you can ask to find out if laws  
against discrimination  
exist in your country: 
Have you received any information  
in easy-to-read, video or audio tape 
about discrimination at work? 
 
Did anybody tell you about your rights  
to fight against discrimination? 
 
Do you know which special needs you have  
to find and keep a job? 
 
Do you know what an employer has to do to 
make it possible for you to work? 
 
Did somebody tell you what you can do  
to fight against discrimination at work? 
 
Have you talked about discrimination  
with your friends, parents or carers? 
If you have not checked all boxes  
there is still something to be done  
in your fight against discrimination. 
 
8 
More information 
To know more on laws  
against discrimination,  
contact the member of Inclusion Europe  
in your country (see page 2). 
 
The following documents contain important information 
in easy-to-understand format: 
 
? Basic principles for a disability-specific Directive on 
Non-discrimination.  
Position Paper of Inclusion Europe, 2002 
 
? “Work it out!” Peer support manual 
LEV and project “Me, you, us in our common 
Europe”, 2002 
 
? Discrimination and people with learning disabilities 
in the European Union. A Briefing for Policy-Makers 
LEV and project “Me, you, us in our common 
Europe”, 2001 (this document is not easy-to-read)  
 
You can also find information on the website  
of Inclusion Europe: 
 
www.inclusion-europe.org 
 
 
9 
Inclusion Europe
Inclusion Europe
Galeries de la Toison d’Or
29 Chaussée d’Ixelles #393/32
B-1050 Brussels
Tel. : +32-2-502 28 15 
Fax : +32-2-502 80 10
secretariat@inclusion-europe.org
www.inclusion-europe.org
Discrimination hurts 
deep down inside!
Inclusion Europe
The European Association of Societies
of Persons with Intellectual Disability
and their Families
Inclusion Europe speaks for people
with intellectual disability and their families.
Our members are
organisations of self-advocates and
parents from 29 countries in Europe.
Inclusion Europe work with
the European Commission and
the European Parliament.
We tell them what our members want.
Inclusion Europe works in 3 main areas :   
1. The fight against discrimination
2. Human Rights of people with
intellectual disability
3. Inclusion of all people in society
Inclusion Europe publishes reports,
newsletters and other documents.
We organise conferences
in many countries.
We work closely together with all
our members in Europe.
Fighting discrimination in Europe
ReportSupported by the European Commission
EN


Discrimination Hurts Deep Down Inside! : Fighting Discrimination in Europe

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Discrimination Hurts Deep Down Inside! : Fighting Discrimination in Europe

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