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Council of Europe prepares report on deinstitutionalising people with disabilities

FRA spoke about findings from its research on community living for people with disabilities during a public hearing on the deinstitutionalisation of people with disabilities. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe held the hearing on 16 March as it prepares a new report on the issue. FRA mentioned steps that Member States could take to enable people with disabilities to live independently in the community with choices equal to others.

It underlined that this entails a physical move to accommodation in the community. This includes a shift in how services for people with disabilities are provided, away from ‘one size fits all’ approaches towards individualised, user-controlled support in the community. The Parliamentary Assembly’s work will lead to draft recommendations to Member States, for adoption in autumn 2021. The Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner and UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of people with disabilities also spoke at the hearing.