Goals
The Belgian Disability Forum (BDF) aims at promoting, within the European institutions, the following rights of persons with disabilities:
- human rights
- civil rights
- social rights
- economic rights
- cultural rights
- equal opportunities
A European necessity
BDF was created on October 18 2001, to meet the wishes of the European Union to dispose:
- in all EU Member States
- of a single national representative body in the field of disabilities
- functioning independently
- able to relay the expectations of disabled persons
- able to disseminate nationally all EU assets and projects
5 principles
The philosophy of action of the BDF is based on 6 main principles:
- disabled people are persons : as such, they have the right to be respected and given equal opportunities
- disabled people are persons : as such, they must be respected and given the means to be involved into social life. Society must provide them with a life of their choosing in the most autonomous way possible
- disability mainstreaming : specific needs related to the handicap must be taken into account within each stage of political reflection and decision processes
- disabled persons participation in reflection and decision processes : from beginning to end, a real and constructive dialogue must be achieved with all structures representing persons with disabilities
- empowerment of disabled persons : they must be given the opportunity and means to participate in decision-making processes
- impaired persons are entitled to human rights : they have rights, as well as obligations
4 areas of action
BDF main areas of action:
- to represent Belgian disabled persons within the European Disability Forum (EDF)
- to provide information to Belgian disabled persons on the great European and international stakes
- to lobby for the improvement of disabled persons rights
- to participate in the European decision-making process in all fields having an impact on the disabled persons situation