All people are equal. All people must have equal opportunities to live and act in society. Discrimination is forbidden. Abuse and violent treatment are punishable acts. In practice, however, people with disabilities cannot exercise their rights and freedoms or fulfil their responsibilities. Structural barriers and prevalent attitudes in society restrict the independent living and coping, self-determination and social inclusion of people with disabilities at all ages.

The Government wants to ensure the equal status of people with disabilities in society by tackling drawbacks by concrete corrective and development measures. For this purpose, the drafting of the Disability Policy Programme was started. The programme outlines concrete disability policy actions for the next few years  (2010-2015). The social developments to achieve sustainable and accountable disability policy are outlined in the same context. They require measures both in the next few years and on a longer term.

The measures of the programme are ambitious and aim at developing all the relevant policy sectors from the perspective of the rights, freedoms and equal opportunities of persons with disabilities. The programme is divided into 14 content areas that are important from the point of view of disability policy. It comprises of altogether 122 concrete measures to tackle the drawbacks. Each corrective or preventive measure needed to eliminate or alleviate them has been looked at separately. The administrative sector responsible for implementation as well as the timetables, financial needs, obligations and an indicator by which the implementation
of the measure is followed have been examined in regard to each of them. Some of the measures require amendments to the relevant legislation and steering of the implementation. What are needed in addition are education, information, extensive improvements, development of financing and structures, updating of concepts as well as strengthening the knowledge base in support of the implementation and monitoring of disability policy.

The main content of the Disability Policy Programme consists of measures to ensure the following objectives:
1. The legislative amendments necessitated by the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will be prepared and implemented;
2. The socioeconomic status of persons with disabilities and combating poverty will be improved;
3. The availability and high quality of special services and support measures will be ensured across the country;
4. Accessibility in society will be strengthened and increased; and
5. Disability research will be reinforced, the information base improved and diversified high-quality methods developed in support of disability policy and monitoring.

It is estimated that more than half of the measures of the Disability Policy Programme can be realised without extra costs to the administrative sector implementing them. Some of the measures require financing at once or in a later phase of the implementation. In several respects, the demand for funding will be specified only after the responsible sector has decided on the phasing and levels of the implementation. The basic principle is that the measures are implemented in line with the Government decision on spending limits in force and within the budget, allocating resources as possible and as needed.

The programme requires efficient implementation and monitoring. They will be initiated once the programme has been completed. The future objective is to
achieve a sustainable disability policy. It will foster a diversified society, prevent discrimination and reinforce accessibility in society. All the relevant actors in society
are responsible for implementing sustainable disability policy.

A Strong Basis for Inclusion and Equality
Finland's Disability Policy Programme VAMPO 2010-2015
Publications of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health 2012:7, Helsinki 2012, 98 p.
ISBN 978-952-00-3344-6 (pb)
ISBN 978-952-00-3345-3 (PDF)
ISSN-L 1236-2050
ISSN 1236-2050 (print)
ISSN 1797-9854 (online)