Disabilities
Article | Last updated: 21/03/2024 | Ministry of Culture and Equality
Persons with disabilities have the same rights as others. The Norwegian government wants people to be able to live their lives freely, regardless of any disability. The Government wants to promote human rights and thereby equality, equal rights, participation and respect for the free choice of the individual. The Government wants to put an end to discrimination, lack of freedom and injustice.
The Government’s policy is based on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Anyone can have a disability, and disabilities are a natural part of human variability. The policy for persons with disabilities encompasses all areas of society, and the protection of rights cuts across sectors.
The Ministry of Culture and Equality has overall responsibility for coordinating the Government’s policy for people with reduced functional capacity vis-à-vis other ministries. The sector ministries are responsible for their own sectors.
The organisations serve as an important consultation party in relevant political processes, such as the preparation of action plans and strategies.
In addition, the minister invites the Norwegian Federation of Organisations of Disabled People (FFO), the Norwegian Forum of Disabled Peoples’ Organisations (SAFO), the Norwegian Association of Youth with Disabilities and other ministers in the field to annual policy roundtable conferences on relevant topics. At these roundtable conferences, the minister reports on the policy situation in the field. The three organisations also work with Bufdir, on behalf of the ministry, to mark the UN’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities every year on 3 December.
The Government aims to pursue an aggressive equality policy aimed at ensuring that everyone is included in society, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, functional capacity or ethnicity. The Ministry of Culture and Equality is responsible for national equality and anti-discrimination legislation, which prohibits discrimination on the grounds of disability.
The Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir) is a government agency
Bufdir is the ministry’s directorate for policy for persons with reduced functional capacity. Bufdir works to improve living conditions and the living situation for persons with disabilities.
Bufdir’s remit includes the following:
- Subsidies for organisations for persons with disabilities and leisure activities for persons with reduced functional capacity.
- Documenting the situation as regards persons with reduced functional capacity, and providing own figures and statistics.
- A programme to improve competence on the CRPD.
- Another source of information about persons with disabilities is the TryggEst programme.