Academic network of European disability experts (ANED)
  • Go to Logo Human European Consultancy
  • Centre for Disability Studies University of Leeds
other languagelanguage

LATEST DOCUMENTS
Netherlands

Introduction

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

Contact:
José Smits
E-mail: jcsmits@dds.nl
Website: www.inclusie.nl

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 Dutch Equal Treatment Commission (CGB) is an independent agency that promotes equality in relation to gender, race, age, religion, sexual orientation in addition to disability. Its opinions are not legally binding but are highly persuasive.

The Ministry of Public Health, Welfare & Sport (VWS) is responsible for coordinating disability policy among the various governmental departments. The State Secretary of VWS reports to the parliament at regular intervals on the status of initiatives and laws having to with disability policy and commissions evaluations of the effectiveness of laws and policies concerning persons with disabilities.

National law and strategy

The Netherlands has signed the United Nations Convention but not the Optional Protocol.

read complete article

Social protection

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

Disability benefits

Invalidity related benefits are funded through the general system of state social benefits and ‘pay as you go', earnings-related,contributions. There is compulsory social insurance.

read complete article

Facts and figures

Data on population indicate that:

The Sociaal Cultureel Planburo estimates the number of persons with some degree of a physical disability in the Netherlands to be 3,377,000 persons, or 22.5% of the population (SCP 2007, chap. 2, table 2.1, p. 33).

read complete article

Academic networks and resources

Disabilty studies is not a developed field of academic study in the Netherlands and is not supported by an organized academic network. Research is being conducted to explore the feasibility of developing disability studies. Several people and institutions are involved in doing disability research, but mostly in isolation from each other.

read complete article

Organisations of disabled people

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

Vereniging Gehandicapten Platform Nederland (VGPN) is hosted by the National Disability Council of the Netherlands, the largest disability advocacy group in the Netherlands, and is a ceremonial representative to the European Disability Forum.

read complete article

Additional information

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

SCP Rapport 2007, M. Klerk (ed.) Meedoen met Beperkingen, Sociaal Cultureel Planburo, Den Haag, 2008
EUMAP Report on Access of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities to Education and Employment, published 2006, rapporteur J. A. Schoonheim
Statistics Netherlands, Special Education, 2008
Statistics Netherlands, Health Care 2007

picture illustrating netherlands

go directly to

country country
theme theme

Search

Go to the European Commission - Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities This initiative is financed by the EC Programme Progress. But the views expressed in this website do not necessarily reflect the official views of the EU institutions.
This site complies with WAI guidelines for accessibility and a Userite Level 2 priority certificate has been awarded