Academic Network of European Disability experts (ANED)
Austria – ANED Country profile
Introduction
The information contained on this page was updated in December 2011 and is also
maintained by our country team.
Name: A. Univ. Prof. Dr. Volker Schoenwiese
Address: Institute for Educational Sciences
University of Innsbruck
Liebeneggstrasse 8
A-6020 Innsbruck
E-mail: volker.schoenwiese@uibk.ac.at
Website: http://www.uibk.ac.at/iezw/mitarbeiterinnen/ao.-univ.-professorinnen/volkerschoenwiese/about.html
The full text can be downloaded here.
Disabled people’s organisations
The national assembly representing disabled people’s organisations is:
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Österreichische Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Rehabilitation http://www.oear.or.at/
(ÖAR – Austrian Workinggroup for Rehabilitation), an umbrella organisation of
Disabled People’s Organisations and service providers.
Other important organisations of disabled people include:
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Selbstbestimmt Leben Österreich http://www.slioe.at/ (SLIOE – Independent
Living Austria) is an umbrella organisation of independent living organisations
and individual people with disabilities.
Österreichischer Gehörlosenbund http://www.oeglb.at/ (Austrian Federation of
deaf people)
Österreichischer Schwerhörigenbund http://www.oesb-dachverband.at/ (ÖSB –
Austrian Federation of people with hearing impairments)
Österreichischer Blinden- und Sehbehindertenverband http://www.oebsv.at/
(Austrian Federation of blind and visually impaired people)
Österreichischer Zivilinvalidenverband http://www.oeziv.at/ (ÖZIV - Austrian
Federation of civil invalids)
Policy contacts
The main contact point for co-ordination of disability policy at the national level is:
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Academic Network of European Disability experts (ANED)
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Department for the Integration of People with disabilities at the Federal Ministry
for Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection.
http://www.bmask.gv.at/site/Das_Ministerium/Geschaeftseinteilung/Sektion_IV/
Gruppe_A_Integration_von_Menschen_mit_Behinderung_Abt_1_6_7_und_10_
Contact: behindertenrechtskonvention@bmask.gv.at
Public information about disability entitlements and benefits is available from:
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The official information and support service provided by the Austrian
government is help.gv.at. There is a section with detailed information on
disability entitlements and benefits:
https://www.help.gv.at/Portal.Node/hlpd/public/content/k199/Seite.1990000.html
Federal Office for Social Affairs (http://www.bundessozialamt.gv.at/). The
Federal Social Office is mainly responsible for supporting businesses as well as
people with disabilities with regard to the vocational integration of people with
disabilities. It also carries out conciliation procedures as foreseen by the
Federal Disability Equality Act and the Federal Disability Employment Act.
Other important national bodies with responsibility for disability issues include:
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The Attorney for Persons with Disabilities
http://www.bmask.gv.at/site/Soziales/Menschen_mit_Behinderungen/Behinderte
nanwalt the Federal Ministry for Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer
Protection supports people to enforce their rights as enshrined in the Federal
Disability Equality Act.
Law and policy
More details of national policy instruments, and with relevance to the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of persons with Disabilities, are provided in DOTCOM: the
Disability Online Tool of the Commission.
Current national disability strategy or action plan:
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Federal Disability Programme for the Labour Market 2012-2013
http://www.bmask.gv.at/cms/site/attachments/1/6/2/CH2092/CMS13255793666
42/babe_2012-2013.pdf
Other important national laws, policies or strategies concerning disabled people and
disability issues include:
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Federal Disability Employment Act
http://www.bundessozialamt.gv.at/basb/Behindertengleichstellung/In_der_Arbeit
swelt/Allgemeines
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Academic Network of European Disability experts (ANED)
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Federal Disability Equality Act
http://www.bundessozialamt.gv.at/basb/Behindertengleichstellung/Im_taeglichen
_Leben/Allgemeines
The Federal Law for Long Term Care Benefit
https://www.help.gv.at/Portal.Node/hlpd/public/content/36/Seite.360511.html
The Guidelines for Personal Assistance at the Workplace
http://www.bundessozialamt.gv.at/basb/UnternehmerInnen/Persoenliche_Assist
enz_am_Arbeitsplatz
Data and research
Enquiries about official data on disability issues can be directed to:
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Department for the Integration of People with disabilities at the Federal Ministry
for Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection.
http://www.bmask.gv.at/site/Das_Ministerium/Geschaeftseinteilung/Sektion_IV/
Gruppe_A_Integration_von_Menschen_mit_Behinderung_Abt_1_6_7_und_10_
Contact: behindertenrechtskonvention@bmask.gv.at
National disability survey data:
Official statistics on people with disabilities are not collected in Austria.
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A report on a 2007 microcensus on people with disabilities is available:
http://www.statistik.at/web_de/Redirect/index.htm?dDocName=043544
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Data on the employment of people with disabilities is available on the web page
Work and Disability:
http://www.arbeitundbehinderung.at/de/arbeitsmarkt/arbeitsmarktdaten/index.ph
p
Key academic journals or networks:
Behinderte Menschen http://www.behindertemenschen.at/ (Disabled People) is a bimonthly academic research journal with a focus on people with disabilities.
There are no established networks for disability research in Austria but some
institutes or working groups at Universities focus on particular disability issues:
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Research focus on Inclusive Education and Disability Studies at the University
of Innsbruck: http://www.uibk.ac.at/iezw/forschung/inklusive-paedagogik-unddisability-studies.html
Institute for Integrated Study at the University of Linz:
http://www.jku.at/iis/content
Centre for Sign Language and the Communication of Hearing Impaired People
at the University of Klagenfurt : http://wwwg.uni-klu.ac.at/fzgs/
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Academic Network of European Disability experts (ANED)
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Work Unit for Special Needs and Inclusive Education at the University of
Vienna: http://bildungswissenschaft.univie.ac.at/inklusive-paedagogik/home/
Institute for Inclusive Education at the College for Education in Linz:
http://www.ph-ooe.at/de/inklusive-paedagogik.html
Department for Social and Inclusive Education at the University of Klagenfurt:
http://www.ifeb.uni-klu.ac.at/index.php?id=44
“Centre for Applied Assistive Technologies”:
http://www.aat.tuwien.ac.at/index_en.html
Working group for sign-language at the University of Graz: http://www.unigraz.at/uedoawww/
Bidok: scientific online library on the inclusion of people with disabilities:
http://bidok.uibk.ac.at/
Recently, a group of individual academics has started an informal network
“Dista” (Disability Studies Austria http://dista.uniability.org/).
Recent research studies and publications include:
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Eglseer, Thomas (2007). Exklusion behinderter Menschen durch
Mobilitätsbarrieren in Österreich. Am Beispiel der alltäglichen Mobilitätsbarrieren
von RollstuhlfahrerInnen in Wien. Diplomarbeit Universität Wien.
http://bidok.uibk.ac.at/library/eglseer-mobilitaetsbarrieren-dipl.html. (Master
thesis at the University of Vienna: Exclusion of disabled people through mobility
barriers in Austria. Explained through the example of the everyday mobility
barriers of wheelchair users in Vienna)
Fasching, Helga; Koenig, Oliver (2010). Arbeitsmarktpolitische
Unterstützungsmaßnahmen in Österreich. Dokumentation der bundesweiten
Trägerbefragung arbeitsmarktpolitischer Unterstützungsmaßnahmen. Wien:
Universität Wien.http://vocationalparticipation.univie.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/proj_intellectual_disabilities/Fas
ching_Koenig_2010__Bd._II_-_Letztversion.pdf. (A research project at the
Department of Education and Human Development of the University of Vienna
funded by the Austrian Science Fund - FWF-Projectnumber: P 20021-G14,
duration 2008-2013; the projects gathered data on the experience of
participation by people with an intellectual impairment who are undergoing the
transition from school to work life or who are already participating in working
life.)
Feyerer, Ewald (2009).Qualität in der Sonderpädagogik: Rahmenbedingungen
für eine verbesserte Erziehung, Bildung und Unterrichtung von Schüler/inne/n
mit sonderpädagogischem Förderbedarf. In: Werner Specht (Hrsg.): Nationaler
Bildungsbericht Österreich 2009, Band 2: Fokussierte Analysen
bildungspolitischer Schwerpunktthemen Graz: Leykam, 73-98,
http://www.bmukk.gv.at/medienpool/17992/nbb_band2.pdf. (Study in the
National Report on Education in Austria: Quality in special needs education:
basic conditions for improved education and teaching of students with special
educational needs)
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Academic Network of European Disability experts (ANED)
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Hattinger, Christian Franz (2011). GESTU : Evaluierung von technischen
Hilfsmitteln zur Förderung Studierender mit Hörbehinderung im österreichischen
tertiären Bildungssektor und Einführung geeigneter Technologien an der TU
Wien. Diplomarbeit TU Wien. (Master thesis at the Technical University of
Vienna: Evaluation of technical aids to support students with hearing
impairments in Austria´s tertiary education sector and introduction of suitable
technologies at the Technical University of Vienna.)
Koenig, Oliver (2010). Werkstätten und Ersatzarbeitsmarkt in Österreich.
Umsetzung der Werkstättenstandorte in Österreich sowie der Befragung aller
österreichischen Werkstättenträger und Standorte im Zeitraum 2008 – 2009.
Wien: Universität Wien. http://vocationalparticipation.univie.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/proj_intellectual_disabilities/Koe
nig_2010__Bd._III_-_Letztversion.pdf. (A research project at the Department of
Education and Human Development of the University of Vienna funded by the
Austrian Science Fund - FWF-Projectnumber: P 20021-G14, duration 20082013; this data collection focuses on the situation of people with disabilities in
sheltered workshops. Among others, the results show that in Austria
significantly more money is spent on sheltered employment than on the
vocational integration of people with disabilities in the open labour market.)
König, Ines (2011). Barrierefreies Planen und Bauen des öffentlichen Raumes
für blinde und sehbehinderte Menschen - Evaluierung der
Mobilitätsvoraussetzungen blinder und sehbehinderter Menschen in Wien.
Dimplomarbeit TU Wien. (Master thesis at the Technical University of Vienna:
Planning and building accessible public spaces for blind and visually impaired
people – Evaluation of conditions for the mobility of blind and visually impaired
people in Vienna)
Ofenbeck, Karin (2011). Barrierefreier Städtetourismus : ein Vergleich zwischen
Erfurt und Graz. Diplomarbeit Universität Graz. (Master thesis at the University
of Graz: Accessible Tourism: A comparison between Erfurt and Graz)
Sprajcer, Selma, Schober, Christian (2009). Wo ein Wille, da ein Weg? Studie
zur baulichen Barrierefreiheit in Betriebsstätten von Unternehmen und Nonprofit
Organisationen in Ostösterreich. Studie im Auftrag und unter Mitarbeit des
Österreichischen Zivilinvalidenverbandes. http://bidok.uibk.ac.at/library/sprajcerbarrierefreiheit.html. (Study for and with the Austrian federation of civilian
invalids on the accessibility in business facilities of companies and non- profit
organisations in East Austria. About three quarters of the inspected premises
were inaccessible for people with mobility impairments. The second largest
number of barriers was found for people with visual impairments. Companies
were more aware of accessibility issues for customers than for employees. As
there is no general research on accessibility in Austria, this study is a first step.)
Stockner, Hubert (2010). Österreichische Behindertenpolitik im Lichte der UNKonvention über die Rechte von Menschen mit Behinderungen. Diplomarbeit,
Universität Innsbruck. http://bidok.uibk.ac.at/library/stockner-behindertenpolitikdipl.html. (Master thesis at the University of Innsbruck: Austrian Disability policy
with regard to the UN Convention on the rights of people with disabilities)
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Academic Network of European Disability experts (ANED)
Facts and figures
More details are available from ANED’s Indicators of Disability Equality in Europe.
The following key points are summarised from data sources at European or national
level, with particular relevance to the European Disability Strategy 2010-2020 and
Europe 2020 targets.
Indicators of employment:
According to EU SILC data for 2009, compiled by ANED, the employment rate for
disabled people (aged 20-64) in Austria was 48.2%, compared to 73.3% for nondisabled people (53.5% for disabled men and 43.1% for disabled women). The
unemployment rate was 19.2% and the economic activity rate 59.7%.
Indicators of education:
According to EU SILC data for 2009, compiled by ANED, the proportion of disabled
people (aged 30-34) having completed tertiary level education in Austria was 25.0%,
compared to 25.7% for non-disabled people (29.6% for disabled men and 20.1% for
disabled women). The proportion of young disabled people (aged 18-24) leaving
school early in Austria was 27.3%, compared to 9.5% for non-disabled people.
Indicators of poverty and incomes:
According to EU SILC data for 2009, compiled by ANED, the proportion of disabled
people (aged 16-59) living in households at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion in
Austria was 16.7%, compared to 3.8% for non-disabled people (15.2% for disabled
men and 18.1% for disabled women).
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