Spotlight on accessibility during European Day of Persons with
Disabilities
On November 30th and December 1st, the European Day of Persons with
Disabilities (EDPD)
[https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=88&eventsId=2129&furtherEvents=yes#navItem-1]
unfolded in Brussels, marking a significant annual event. This two-day
conference, a collaborative effort between the European Commission and
the European Disability Forum
[https://www.edf-feph.org/events-slug/european-day-of-persons-with-disabilities-2023/],
brought together over 400 policymakers, high-level experts, and
disability advocates. The conference served as a crucial platform to
address vital themes, including the right to vote and stand for
elections, the European Year of Skills 2023
[https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/europe-fit-digital-age/european-year-skills-2023_en],
and the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
2021–2030.
[https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1484&langId=en] 

This yearly gathering underscores the ongoing commitment to ensuring
equal rights and opportunities for persons with disabilities. As the
European Commission emphasises the importance of working together to
achieve a Union of equality, the conference delved into discussions on
political participation, skills development, and progress made in
advancing disability rights. 

A noteworthy aspect of this year's EDPD was the Access City Award
[https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1141] ceremony,
recognising efforts to enhance accessibility in urban environments.
From an open data perspective, the Accesslibre
[https://acceslibre.beta.gouv.fr/] platform is worth noticing.
Acceslibre stands out for providing accessibility information to
buildings open to the public. They offer accessibility details,
allowing individuals to assess the suitability of an establishment
before visiting. Acceslibre encourages collaborative contributions
from users, local authorities, and establishment managers. The dataset
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/60a528e8b656ce01b4c0c0a6~~1?locale=en],
which is shared on the data.europa.eu portal, not only aids disabled
individuals in navigating public spaces, but also assists managers and
administrations in shaping effective accessibility policies. 

As we celebrate the European Day of Persons with Disabilities, it is
evident that open data initiatives like Acceslibre play a crucial role
in advancing accessibility, contributing to a more inclusive society.
Explore the Acceslibre dataset here
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/60a528e8b656ce01b4c0c0a6~~1?locale=en]
to delve into the accessibility details shared collaboratively for the
benefit of all. 

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Publication Date/Time
2023-12-01T10:00:00+00:00
Empowering inclusivity: read how Acceslibre empowers communities with
access to public spaces using open data