Region: Europe
Disability Definition
Sweden’s national objective of disability is based on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which defines PwD as ” those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.”
Legislation
The Law regulating Support and Serviceto Persons with Certain Functional Disabilities (2014) functions as “an entitlement law and entails supplementary support for persons with significant and long-term functional disabilities.”
The goals set as part of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals is an important part of Sweden’s committment to disability legislation.
To achieve the national goal of having equal living conditions and full participation in society for people with disabilities the implementation of disability policy will target four areas:
– the principle of universal design
– accessibility shortcomings
– individual support and solutions for individual independence
– preventing and countering discrimination
Reference: Disability Policy in Sweden – An overview (mfd.se)
Employer Legal Requirements
Under the Discrimination Act (2008:567), an employer cannot (directly or indirectly) discriminate against an employee or a job applicant (or a member of another protected category (see below) on the basis of disability. The Discrimination Act also defines inadequate accessibility as a form of discrimination. This is when a person with a disability is disadvantaged through a failure to take reasonable accessibility measures to put him/her in a comparable position to people without such a disability.
Accessibility Requirements
The Public Transport Act (2010) initiates regulations to make Swedish public transport by road, rail, water, tramway and metro more accessible.
Cultural Norms
“In Sweden, people with disabilities are generally seen as equal members of society and should be included in all aspects of life. There is a belief in Sweden that society should be designed to accommodate everyone, regardless of their physical abilities.
However, this does not mean that discrimination against people with disabilities does not exist. In fact, there have been instances of discrimination and negative attitudes towards people with disabilities in Sweden. Some people still view disability as a personal tragedy or a burden on society, rather than as a natural part of the human condition.”
Reference: Sweden – Disability – Expat Focus
Business Practices/Examples
Additional content coming soon.
Insights
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2021-03-31 states that in 2020, “the employment rate among persons with disabilities was 67 percent, compared with 77 percent in the population as a whole.”
Reference: Proportion of employed persons smaller among person with disabilities (scb.se)
Supplier Diversity
Additional content coming soon.Talent Sourcing Resources
Few private talent sourcing resources exist in Sweden, but the Swedish Public Employment Service provides employers with funding for accommodation for their employees with disabilities. They also provide information on disability hiring in general for employers.
Additional Resources
Swedish Disability Rights Federation: “We inform public opinion about disabilities related matters. Further, we act as a referral body in relation to the government, the parliament and national authorities. The federation was founded 1942 and consists today of 49 national disability organizations with about 400,000 individual members.”
Swedish National Association for Social and Mental Health: “Our mission is to improve the daily lives of people with mental health issues. We aim to achieve this by improving the quality of the care and support available, as well as to give people with mental health issues more control over their own lives. We also fight the prevalent prejudice in society.”
Swedish Handicap Institute: “We are a national resource center on assistive technology and accessibility for persons with disabilities. We work for full participation and equality for persons with disabilities by ensuring access to high-quality assistive technology, an effective provision of assistive devices and an accessible community.”
References
Law regulating Support and Serviceto Persons with Certain Functional Disabilities (2014)
Public Transport Act (2010)