Latvia

For adults, the assessment of disability status is based on a combination of medical diagnosis and an assessment of functional limitations leading to difficulties in carrying out certain specified activities.

Disability criteria: Disability is a long-term or permanent very severe, severe or moderate degree of limitation of functioning of an individual due to health condition (illness or injury).  For persons aged 18 and above the following disability groups are conferred, depending on the degree of limitation of functioning: I group — very severe disability; II group — severe disability; III group —moderate disability.  For persons of working age, the loss of general workability also shall be determined as a per cent: 80-100% in conjunction with I group; 60-79% in conjunction with II group and 25-59% in conjunction with III group.  For persons under 18 years of age the status of a “disabled child” is currently determined, without breakdown in disability groups.

For children the assessment is based on the existence of a specific medical condition which has been diagnosed by a treating doctor who has provided documentation to confirm the diagnosis.

Combination of documentary evidence and personal interaction.

On January 2^nd, 2013, the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination against Natural Persons– Performers of Economic Activities entered into force. The new law improves the current legal framework by providing for prohibition of different treatment in private and public sphere in relation to a natural person who is willing to perform or performs an independent activity for remuneration not only on the grounds of person’s gender, racial and ethnic origin, but also disability, sexual orientation and political, religious, or other beliefs.

On May 22^nd, 2013, amendments to the Electronic Mass Media Law entered into force, whereby Article 35 of the Law provides for prohibition in commercial announcements of incitement to hatred and inviting to discriminate against any person or group of persons based on sex, age,religious, political, or other beliefs, sexual orientation, disability, racial or ethnic origin, nationality, or other grounds.

The Government regularly adopts action plans for implementation of the Guidelines. The Action Plan for 2015-2017 envisages specific activities to improve and expand support measures and services for persons with disabilities, to improve accessibility and to enhance stakeholder awareness and involvement. It aims at advancing the right of persons with disability to live independently and with dignity in accordance with the principles of equal treatment. Latvia has defined four main priority sectors for disability policy: education,employment, social protection, and public awareness-raising.

In 2011 the Ministry of Welfare developed Guidelines on environmental accessibility for persons with movement, hearing, visual and intellectual disability. The Guidelines are available on the websites of more than 25 institutions, and it serves as an auxiliary material for architects,construction students, builders, municipal employees, ERDF project implementers.

Latvia ratified the CRPD on 1 March 2010. Upon the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities the Law on Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was adopted to delegate the protection of rights of persons with disability to the Ombudsman of the Republic of Latvia.

Source: Response by Latvia – Rights of persons with disabilities in policies aimed at implementing and monitoring the SDG’s (Latvia– OHCR)

A quota system does not exist in Latvia.

There are no tax credits for employers who employ persons with disabilities. All taxes, social contributions, and sick leave certificates for employed persons with disabilities shall be paid by employers in the same way as for other employed persons.

An exception applies for a social enterprise: a limited liability company that has been granted the status of social enterprise and which conducts an economic activity that creates a positive social impact (for example, provision of social services, formation of an inclusive civil society, promotion of education, support for science, protection and preservation of the environment, animal protection or ensuring cultural diversity). Under the Social Enterprise Law (2017), a social enterprise has the right to property tax relief, granted by the relevant local government, and corporate tax relief.

Under section 8(1) of the Law, a social enterprise shall not include expenditure in the base subject to corporate income tax on:

• The provision of recreation and social inclusion measures for workers with a disability.
• The integration of persons with disabilities into the labor market and the improvement of quality of life.
• Measures for the social integration of persons with disabilities.
• The acquisition of assets which serve the purposes set out in the articles of association of the social enterprise.
• Donations to a public benefit organization for purposes consistent with the objectives set out in the articles of association of the social enterprise.

An employer’s duty to provide reasonable accommodation to a person with a disability is determined by Section 7 of the Labour Law, on ‘Principle of Equal Rights’, which states:

‘In order to promote the introduction of the principle of equal rights in relation to persons with a disability, an employer has an obligation to take measures that are necessary in conformity with the circumstances to adjust the work environment, to facilitate the possibility of persons with a disability to establish employment relationship, perform work duties, be promoted to higher positions or be sent to occupational training or further education, insofar as such measures do not place an unreasonable burden on the employer.

In 2011 the Ministry of Welfare developed Guidelines on environmental accessibility for persons with movement, hearing, visual and intellectual disability. The Guidelines are available on the websites of more than 25 institutions, and it serves as an auxiliary material for architects,construction students, builders, municipal employees, ERDF project implementers.

Latvia ratified the CRPD on 1 March 2010. Upon the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities the Law on Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was adopted to delegate the protection of rights of persons with disability to the Ombudsman of the Republic of Latvia.

Source: Response by Latvia – Rights of persons with disabilities in policies aimed at implementing and monitoring the SDG’s (Latvia– OHCR)

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Educational Attainment: Upper Secondary or Higher

In Latvia general and statistical data on persons with disabilities are not publicly available in the field of education.

Census Data

Population

Latvia has a population of 1,821,750 people.

Ethnic Groups

Latvian 62.7%, Russian 24.5%, Belarusian 3.1%, Ukrainian 2.2%, Polish 2%, Lithuanian 1.1%, other 1.8%, unspecified 2.6% (2021 est.)

Languages

Latvian (official) 56.3%, Russian 33.8%, other 0.6% (includes Polish, Ukrainian, and Belarusian), unspecified 9.4%

Government Type

Parliamentary republic.

Source: CIA.gov

People with Disabilities Census Data

In Latvia, there are 206,386 people living with a disability. (2022)

Source: Official Statistics of Latvia

Labor Force Participation Rate

Data from EUSILC indicate an employment rate for persons with disabilities in Latvia of 61.1 % in 2018, compared to 80.0 % for other persons. It is approximately 10.3 points above the EU27 average but still results in an estimated disability employment gap of approximately 19 percentage points.

Source: European Semester 2020-2021 country fiche on disability equality.

SUSTENTO is the only umbrella organization in Latvia that unites 55 organizations of people with disabilities, thus forming a direct representation of more than 50,000 people with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses. In2002, the organization was founded to unite as many associations as possible and try to achieve respect for the rights and needs of people with disabilities in our country.

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Achieving Higher Labor Force Participation Rates in People with Disabilities

To promote the employment of persons with disabilities, PES shall provide employers with three-hour consultations regarding the following topics:

• The specific nature of communication and employment of unemployed persons with disabilities according to the type of disability (disability of movement, vision, hearing, mental nature (including communication with persons with mental disorders) and others).
• Reducing communication barriers and stereotypes within the enterprise staff.
• Conflict and problem solving.
• Other current issues related to the promotion of employment of unemployed persons with disabilities.

Since 2017, PES has organized the ‘Open-Doors Day for People with Disabilities’. PES invites both employers who wish to apply for available vacancies and persons with disabilities who wish to work as part of the event. As a result, employers can provide information on the specific nature of the work and other work-related issues, while persons with disabilities can ask questions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was held online, but before the pandemic people with disabilities could visit companies and institutions and familiarize themselves with the work environment, process, staff, and work responsibilities.

The Open-Doors Day for People with disabilities is an exemplary model aimed to promote the employment of people with disabilities. It offers several opportunities, including the following:

• Job vacancies are applied for with the employer’s registration.
• When expressing an interest in attending the event, a person with a disability shall also register with PES.
• Within the framework of the measure, the employer shall become acquainted with the potential employee.
• It is possible for the employer to demonstrate on the spot the work to be performed, to provide information regarding the requirements and to become acquainted with an employee’s abilities and suitability for the work.
  
  • The worker can undertake a trial of the job and receive feedback directly from the potential employer.
• The employer can recruit a person with a disability.
  
  • A person with disabilities can take up work.