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Estonia

Introduction

The information contained on this page was compiled in April 2009 by our country team.

Contact:
Luule Sakkeus

Estonian Institute for Population Studies, Tallinn University.



E-mail: luule.sakkeus@tlu.ee
Website: http://www.tlu.ee/?LangID=2&CatID=2822

The full text can be downloaded here.

Policy and enforcement bodies

The key national bodies with responsibility for disability law and policy implementation include:

The Ministry of Social Affairs of Estonia is responsible for developing strategy for disabled persons and ensuring  resources at the state level.

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National law and strategy

Estonia has signed the United Nations Convention but not the Optional Protocol.

Important national laws, policies and strategies concerning disabled people include:

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Social protection

Key features of the national system include (including adapted items from the MISSOC database December 2008):

Disability benefits

Different allowances are available to disabled people of working age, pensionable age, child allowance, carers and disabled parents (Social benefits for disabled persons, see also Pensions and benefits).

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Facts and figures

Data on population indicate that:

According to 2000 Census data, over 102 000 people in Estonia were disabled; 7,8% of the population. The census question used the official definition of impairment. For that reason the census data does not differ to a great extent from the official registration of the disabled by the Social Insurance Board  who registered disabled persons in 2007: 115,354 or 8.6% of the population.

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Academic networks and resources

While there is no specific academic network on disability research in Estonia, the Estonian Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics has promoted research on social inclusion of the elderly, among them disabled people.

Organisations of disabled people

The national organisation representing disabled people at the European level (European Disability Forum) is:

The Estonian Chamber of Disabled People includes 49 member organisations.

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Additional information

Useful sources of more detailed information about the situation of disabled people, and the policies and support available, include:

Further statistical data is available from the Ministry of Social Affairs ,which provides data on expenditure and service delivery.

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