countries - nl - Organisations of disabled people

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.

Other significant national organisations of disabled people include:

The National Disability Council of the Netherlands (Chronische zieken en gehandicapten raad - CG-Raad) is an umbrella organisation for 112 patient and disability member organisations and for 48 regional and local disability organisations.

VG-Belang is an umbrella for organizations representing persons with intelletual disabilities and their families. It also a very important partner in discussions concerning disability policy development. A self-advocacy organisation for persons with intellectual disabilities is the Landelijke federatie onderling sterk (LFB).

Dovenschap Nieuwe Stijl advocates for a Dutch society in which deaf people have ‘the same rights, responsibilities , possibilities, and quality of life as everyone else' and for the recognition of Dutch Sign Language and Deaf culture.

Viziris is a national network of people with visual impairment advocating for ‘an open world' through lobbying, consultancy and practical solutions. It combines the Association macular degeneration (MD Association), the Dutch Association of Blind and Partially Sighted (NVBS), Dutch Association of Guide dog Users (NVG), Dutch Association of Patients Glaucoma (Glaucoma Association), Retina Netherlands (RN), and the Federation of Parents of Visually Impaired (FOVIG).

Other significant national organisations which advocate for their members (generally composed of parents) are BOSK, ANGO and Stichting Downs Syndroom. The Coalitie voor Inclusie is a coalition of both care providers and disabled and non-disabled activist foundations which actively promotes a fully inclusive society. The Netherlands does not have a center for independent living.

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.