countries - is - Facts and figures

Facts and figures

According to figures from the State Social Security Institute from 2004, the primary causes underlying the awarding of a disability pension were Musculo-skeletal (37.1% females/17.3% males); Mental health condition (28.7% female/37.8% males); Nervous system and Sensory organs (8% females/9.8% males); and Genitourinary system (cancer) (7.4% females/5.8% males).

It is important to note that none of these figures include people over retirement age (67), as people are then moved from the disability pension system to the senior citizen pension system.

Data on employment indicate that:

In 2005 the employment rate of disabled people in Iceland was approximately 38%, whereas the employment rate among the general population  was well over 80% (Ólafsson 2005).

The Social Science Research Institute at the University of Iceland will provide further data on employment issues (forthcoming in 2009). Preliminary findings indicate that the vast majority of disability and rehabilitation pensioners in Iceland (96% of 756 respondents) have been employed in paid work at some point in their lives. However, the employment rates for disability pensioners appear to be in flux, as 71% of respondents had not been employed in the last 6 months at the time of interview.

Data on education indicate that:

Comprehensive large scale quantitative data on education of disabled children and youth in Iceland is not available. There are, however, a number of smaller quantitative and qualitative studies that have focused on children and youth with particular impairments (Marinosson 2007; Egilsson 2005; Bjarnason 2003; Björnsdottir 2003; Traustadottir 2006). These studies indicate that while most disabled students are welcomed into regular schools, there are still incidents where school principals refuse to admit disabled students to their schools. Marinosson (2007) found that the social interaction between disabled and non-disabled children was most successful at the preschool level, but at other levels disabled children were at risk of being socially isolated from non-disabled children and youth. The studies cited above show that although the vast majority of disabled students attend regular compulsory schools, they do not all attend regular classes; some attend special classes for part of or for most of the school day. A small number of special schools can still be found in Iceland.

Thus, the overall picture with regard to education in Iceland is mixed. In his study, Marinosson (2007) points out that the greatest barriers to equal education for students with intellectual disabilities is lack of funds, lack of expert knowledge among teachers, the inability of schools to facilitate social interaction between disabled and non-disabled students, and the fact that teachers' aids are the one's who spend most of their time with disabled students, not the teachers. Although there is still some resistance to inclusive education among parents and school personnel, the interest in inclusive schools is slowly growing. An indication of this is the establishment of a Center for Research on Inclusive Schooling (Rannsóknastofa um skóla án aðgreiningar) in the School of Education at the University of Iceland in 2008 (see http://wp.khi.is/skolianadgreiningar)

Data on accessibility indicate that:

Data on accessibility in Iceland is limited, but some research has been conducted. The University of Akureyri and the Landspítali University Hospital conducted a study with individuals with spinal cord injuries (Environmental impacts on the daily life of individuals with spinal cord injury 2009), that identified the most common barriers as being in the physical environment, led by the design of schools and workplaces, followed by the natural environment and transportation. The negative effects of governmental policies also rated significantly in this survey, which included a lack of access to assistive devices and other equipment, lack of personal assistance, as well as inadequate education and employment programs.

Iceland was not included in the MeAC e-accessibility survey

Data on poverty and incomes indicate that:

Data produced by a number of scholars who have studied the disability pension system in Iceland conclude that disability pensioners trail behind the average incomes and living standards of the nation as a whole.

A study that examined data from the years 1995-2004 shows the situation of single disabled people to be particularly problematic, as "the average earnings of disabled singles have ranged from 48% to 56% of the average earnings of all taxpayers aged 25-65" (Ólafsson 2005). Disabled married people fared only marginally better, earning on average 66-73% of the average incomes for married people in Iceland during these same years.

Other research has demonstrated (Njáls 2006) that disability pensioners in general earned 19-35% below an amount considered to be sufficient for minimum support in Iceland.

Data on attitudes indicate that:

No national data is available at present (Iceland was not included in the Eurobarometer surveys of EU countries on attitudes to disability or discrimination).

Data on public spending indicate that:

In 2007, Iceland's spending on general social security (including disability benefits, sick pay, and other forms of social assistance) was approximately 4.9% of the GDP (Tryggingastofnun ríkisins Staðtölur 2007).