People with disabilities must be able to live independently.
They must be able to decide freely about their lives.
They must have the same rights as people without disabilities.
These are the fundamental ideas of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), an agreement of the United Nations on the rights of persons with disabilities from December 13, 2006.
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities defines people with disabilities as follows:
“Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.”
Luxembourg signed this convention in 2007. The e UN Convention and the Optional Protocol entered into force for Luxembourg on October 26, 2011. This means that Luxembourg has since been legally obliged to implement the measures envisaged by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Further information on the UNCRPD can be found here.
The Ministry for Family Affairs, Solidarity, Living Together and Reception of Refugees (MiFa) is responsible for the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in Luxembourg. A National Action Plan is drawn up for this purpose, in which priorities, objectives and concrete measures are set out for a period of five years. Further information on the National Action Plan can be found here.
Currently, Luxembourg already has a whole series of government measures and offers that serve to compensate for disadvantages that can arise due to a disability. You can find more detailed information on government services in this domain on the Guichet.lu website.
In addition to the governmental services, there are also many associations in Luxembourg that offer information, services, and activities for people with disabilities. You can find more information on this on the website of Info Handicap, the national information and meeting point for people with disabilities.