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$Unique_ID{COW03466}
$Pretitle{441}
$Title{Sweden
Support for the Disabled in Sweden}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Swedish Institute}
$Affiliation{Swedish Embassy, Washington DC}
$Subject{disabled
special
care
employment
service
disability
children
services
work
government}
$Date{1990}
$Log{}
Country: Sweden
Book: Fact Sheets on Sweden
Author: Swedish Institute
Affiliation: Swedish Embassy, Washington DC
Date: 1990
Support for the Disabled in Sweden
Sweden is a small, highly industrialized country, which has not been at
war for some 180 years, and which particularly during the period after the
Second World War and up to the 1970s experienced exceptionally good economic
growth. This provided scope for a number of radical social reforms, which have
directly or indirectly affected the disabled.
A strong central government administration combined with extensive local
government is also characteristic. Both the municipalities and the county
councils have the right to levy taxes. They elect their own decision-making
bodies and are responsible for a large part of public services. Traditionally,
public bodies at these three levels-central government, county council, local
authority-are responsible for almost all public services within important
sectors such as the employment services, education, medical care and social
welfare. Private employment agencies are prohibited in Sweden and there are
relatively few private schools and hospitals. Within social welfare and
medical care the tradition of public care goes back as far as the 16th
century. This has meant that charitable organizations with a social objective,
which often work for the disabled, have had less scope in Sweden than in many
other countries.
Another factor of importance is the Swedish tradition of popular
movements, which is also reflected in the existence of a strong movement of
the disabled. In the municipalities and counties there are at present just
over 1,200 associations of disabled people with around 400,000 members. At the
national level there are about 30 associations representing different
disability groups. The majority of these cooperate within the National Society
for Associations of the Disabled (Handikappforbundens centralkommitte, HCK),
which has county committees in all the counties and local committees in many
municipalities.
The Swedish movement of disabled people differs from non-governmental
organizations for the disabled in many other countries in that it consists to
a high degree of organizations of and not for the disabled. They are dominated
to a large extent by the disabled themselves and in the last few years have
come to function as social policy pressure groups in relation to society.
The organizations of the disabled have come to be regarded by the public
authorities as an important consultative partner in the planning of schemes
for the disabled. They are given an opportunity to voice their opinion on
draft bills, they take part in reference groups, working parties, committees,
etc., appointed to carry out special investigations at central government,
county and municipal level.
In order to increase the opportunities for contact between the
authorities and the organizations of the disabled, special coordinating
bodies-councils for the disabled-have been set up at the different levels of
political decision-making. There are councils for the disabled at local,
regional and national levels. The central body is the National Council for the
Disabled (Statens handikapprad) in Stockholm.
In connection with the International Year of the Disabled in 1981, a
Swedish action programme was drawn up to tackle issues concerning the
disabled. This was presented to Parliament in 1983. The National Council for
the Disabled then carried out a follow-up study to determine how far the
programme has been implemented in various social sectors. This study shows
that even if the circumstances of the disabled have improved in many respects,
a great deal remains to be done before the gap between the disabled and the
rest of society is reduced. One important principle in Swedish policy for the
disabled is that progress in this field should not be allowed to suffer
because of swings in the economy. The study reveals, however, that the
contractions of the social economy have nevertheless affected the disabled.
There are very considerable differences in the services offered by the
different municipalities. This is true of the home help and transport
services, among others. Good technical aids are absolute prerequisites if a
person with mobility disabilities is to be able to live an active and
independent life. The availability of such aids is today greatly affected by
the priorities set by the individual county council.
The concept of disability
The political goal for Swedish measures for disabled people is that they
should be part of the community and live like others. They should have the
same opportunities to earn a living, have a good home, move about, and have
meaningful jobs and leisure activities. Each authority is responsible for the
disability issues within its particular sphere.
The Swedish view of disability and handicap is defined in several
government propositions and Acts of Parliament. A handicap is not looked upon
as a characteristic of a person with a disability caused by injury or illness,
but as a relationship between the person and the environment. This approach is
along much the same lines as the definition of handicap formulated by the WHO
and it shifts the handicap from the individuals to their environment. This is
important, because it places a responsibility on all organizers, both public
and private, to see that the activities they run are accessible to
all-including disabled people, thus preventing a disability from becoming a
handicap.
It is difficult to give statistical data on the number of disabled
persons in Sweden. Various estimates indicate, however, that there are about
800,000 persons between the ages of 15 and 75 with more or less pronounced
mobility disabilities or limited mobility due to the reduced functioning of
motor or internal organs. The number of persons with more severe mobility
disabilities is estimated at 290,000 and the number of those confined to a
wheelchair at 30,000.
It is estimated that 200,000 persons have such severe visual impairments
that they cannot read ordinary writing even with the help of glasses. Nearly
10,000 persons are probably completely blind or lack locomotor vision.
The number of persons with defective hearing has been estimated at
800,000. About 200,000 of these are reckoned to be dependent on hearing aids.
The number of deaf persons is estimated to be 10,000.
About 36,000 intellectually handicapped persons receive special care and
attention because of their handicap. This represents just over 0.4% of the
population. It is estimated that there are an additional few thousand who also
need such care.
It is the ambition of Swedish handicap policy to avoid special solutions
for the disabled as far as possible and instead to make society as a whole
accessible to all. Issues regarding the disabled thus become the
responsibility of the whole community.
Legislation
In contrast to many other countries, Sweden has no general law aimed at
securing the rights of disabled persons. In accordance with efforts to
integrate the various issues concerning the disabled in the spheres where they
belong, special paragraphs concerning the disabled have instead been inserted
into certain laws (e.g. the Social Services Act). In other laws (e.g. the
Education Act, the Work Environment Act) it is considered either to be
self-evident or it is stated in the legislative history that disabled persons
are also covered by the law.
There is one exception to this rule. This is the Act on Special Services
for Intellectually Handicapped Persons et al., applying not only to the
intellec