3. EMPIRICAL FINDINGS
This section provides a diagrammatic presentation of the main
findings of our study.
For analytical purposes we will distinguish between the different objectives
of our study while discussing the results of our analysis.
3.1 IDENTITY OF RESPONDENTS
The responses of about 60 organisations with a national
coverage, out of 148 questionnaires received, have been selected for the purpose of the
study. These represent a wide spectrum of disability interest and impairment groups
(physical, visual, communicative, hearing, intellectual, psycho-social disabilities,
persons with complex dependency needs, multiple disabilities, rare diseases, chronical
illnesses or conditions).
Given the heterogeneous nature of disability, and the different needs and
barriers encountered by different groups of disabled people in their daily life, the
participation of a wide variety of organisations representing different impairments was
essential in order to give a complete and accurate view of the link between social
exclusion and disability. Furthermore, a great majority (88%) of the organisations is
involved in both advocacy as well as the provision of services.
The representation of all the main groups of people with disabilities, as well
as their involvement in the promotion, and evaluation of policies, and their
participation in the development of services, constitutes in our opinion a good sample for
collection of relevant information on the nature of exclusion risks faced by disabled
people, on the effectiveness of policies and measures developed, and the identification of
actions needed to counter those risks.
3.2 MINIMUM INCOME AND DISABILITY BENEFITS
Minimum Income policies vary enormously among the Member
States. The differences are attributed to eligibility criteria, legal basis, indexation of
benefits, duration of entitlement, the overall amount of monthly benefits, and the
authorities
responsible for assessing and providing benefits. Table 1 provides a brief
summary of the main characteristics of the Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMI) schemes
in selected EU Countries. All the European Countries, except Greece have developed
some form of minimum income support policies. We considered relevant to
collect information on the following to two topics:
1) The current guaranteed minimum income received monthly by a single person living alone;
2) The subjective minimum income that a single disabled person should receive in order to make ends meet.
The answers to above questions are provided in diagrams 9 and 10 and highlight
the gap between the current level of the guaranteed minimum income, and "the
reported minimum subjective income to make ends meet". On the average the
monthly current income in the countries considered is around 562 Euros, while
the lowest reported income for a single disabled person to make ends meet
(i.e. to cover his (her) basic needs) is almost the double: 904 Euros. (See
diagram 9).
Diagram 9
Diagram 10 presents an overview of the reported answers per country for
the minimum received income and the subjective one. The highest difference between
the two concepts of income was found in Italy and the minimum one in the countries
with the most advanced welfare systems: Sweden and Austria.
3.3 DISABILITY BENEFITS
The eligibility criteria, the structure and spectrum of
disability benefits provided by each Member State are rooted in the historical developments, the organization,
the structures and financing mechanisms of their welfare systems. It is therefore
difficult to draw comparisons and proceed to qualitative analysis of the systems in the
various countries considered in this study.
Therefore, we decided to focus on questions relating to the accessibility and
adequacy of the benefits for disabled people within their own countries. The
participant organisations to the study were asked:
1) To report whether or not their members had access to benefits for disabled people
2) To indicate on what grounds (severity, extra costs of disability,
etc)
benefits are provided by their Government
3) To assess the adequacy of the provided benefits in conjunction with
the extra cost confronted by disabled people i.e. mobility, personal
assistance
etc.
The answers indicated that a large segment of disabled people (93.6%) has
access to disability benefits.
It was further reported that the criteria used in the majority of the cases
(94%) by the respective countries for the award of benefits are based on the
severity of disability.
Although the extra cost imposed on the individual, due to his/her disability
is also taken into account in most cases (See diagram 11), the largest segment of
the respondents (93%) found that this benefit is inadequate (diagram 12).
Diagram 12
The findings of diagram 12 should be combined with the reported insufficiency
of income to cover basic needs. (See diagram 13). As it is shown in diagram 13,
the largest share of disabled people find themselves either in a very poor (27.5%)
or in a poor situation (50%), while 17,5 % find it difficult to cover their basic
needs. It is worth noting that the respondents did not report percentages for people who
could easily or very easily satisfy their basic needs.
Diagram 13
As diagram 13 shows, the majority of the disabled population is concentrated
in the lower income range and reports great difficulties to make ends meet.
Reasons for this greater difficulty to make ends meet are linked to the additional costs linked
to a disability, that put additional strain to the individual and or to their
families, raising with the level of impairment. Additional costs can be of different nature:
direct costs linked to their disability such as medical expenses and aids (wheelchairs,
hearing aids, etc), adaptation to housing, assistive technology needed to perform daily life
activities or work, and for the provision of personal assistance and support.
Basic additional costs are often covered by national protection systems.
However, many expenses providing for a minimum level of integration and support are
most of the time not covered. Moreover family members of a disabled person are
often involved in their care and assistance, sometimes with important consequences
at financial level, as they have to leave their jobs to devote themselves to
caring. Not always the benefit system takes into account the subsequent loss of income and
of pension rights, as we can see in diagram 14.
Diagram 14
Information on the distribution of income of the disabled people is seldom
available.
However, statistical data collected in the United Kingdom reveal that in
1985 around 62% of the disabled people in that country belonged to the lowest two
quintiles (lowest income groups) (see diagram 15). By comparing the findings of 1985
with the corresponding results of 1997, which are based on the same methodology, it
was found that around 59% of disabled people were still in the lowest end of
income distribution. The main conclusion of the UK study is that over the period 1985
to 1997 disabled people are over-represented in the low-income groups.
Diagram 15
Source : www.disabilityalliance.org
The results of our study, despite its methodological constraints, points to
the same direction, that the larger proportion of the disabled people could be found
among the poor and the lowest quintiles of income distribution.
Minimum Income and disability benefits – main
findings
All Member States except Greece have adopted Guaranteed Minimum Income
(GMI) Policies. Marked differences exist across EU countries in the
legal base, the eligibility criteria and the amount of benefits provided
to disabled persons.
For the purpose of our study, we have calculated the average monthly net
current minimum income for a single disabled person living alone in the
7 countries considered in our research, which is around 562 Euros. This
amount is to be compared with the corresponding average income for
making ends meet (i.e. to cover basic needs of a disabled person living
alone) of 904 Euros, gathered on the basis of the responses of the
participants.
Furthermore considerable differences between the actual and the reported
subjective minimum income to make ends meet have been recorded within
the 7 States.
Countries with well-developed welfare systems such as Sweden and Austria
tend to present the smallest differences; while countries with less
developed social assistance schemes such as Italy tend to record the
highest differences.
From the answers collected, it appears that around 93.6% of disabled
people receive inadequate disability benefits to cover their needs. These fail to cover
or cover inadequately extra costs related to disability, such as high medical
expenses or aids (wheelchairs, hearing aids, etc), adaptation to housing, assistive
technology needed to perform daily life or work activities, personal assistance, and support.
Also in many cases benefit systems fail into account the financial strain imposed on
families, in particular when one of the members has to leave the labour market in
order to care for a disabled person in the household.
Moreover the largest share of disabled people declares to be either in a
very poor (27.5%) or in a poor situation (50%). The results of our study are also
supported by other research findings, which state that a large proportion of disabled
people are in the lowest part (bottom tenth) of the income distribution. |
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