“Refugees with Disabilities: Overlooked, Underserved”

Hello, and welcome to the European Parliament, today they are focussing on the topic of refugees with disabilities.

Commissioner Stylianides, who is responsible for this issue, noted the challenges refugees with disabilities faced in trying to achieve accessibility, whether that be through provision of wheelchairs or provision of information for persons who are deaf or blind. Refugees with disabilities is often a minority group that slip through the cracks.

One girl who attended this meeting, is a wheelchair user who was a refugee in Syria, she spoke about her harrowing journey from Syria.

EUD made the point of commenting to remind the Commissioner that there are refugees who are deaf, and that there is a question of interpretation to consider and that these deaf refugees should not be marginalised as a result of this. We made the point that this is an question of human rights.

Helga Stevens MEP was the closing speaker for this event, she spoke about her experience when she visited refugee camps. Additionally she impacted upon the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council that refugees with disabilities should not be forgotten, or let slip through the net. This is a important issue of human rights that needs to be addressed. Thank you.

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