Are Cutbacks to Personal Assistance Violating Sweden’s Obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities?

Ciara Brennan, Rannveig Traustadóttir, Peter Anderberg and James Rice
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Ciara Brennan: Centre for Disability Studies, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University of Iceland, Sturlugata, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland
Rannveig Traustadóttir: Centre for Disability Studies, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University of Iceland, Sturlugata, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland
Peter Anderberg: Department of Health, Blekinge Institute of Technology, SE-371 79 Karlskrona, Sweden
James Rice: Centre for Disability Studies, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University of Iceland, Sturlugata, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland

Laws, 2016, vol. 5, issue 2, 1-15

Abstract: Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities requires states to ensure that disabled people can choose where and with whom they live with access to a range of services including personal assistance. Based on qualitative research of the implementation of Article 19 in Nordic countries, this paper focuses on Sweden, which was at the forefront of implementing personal assistance law and policy and has been the inspiration for many European countries. Instead of strengthening access to personal assistance, this study found that since the Swedish government ratified the Convention in 2008, there has been an increase in the numbers of people losing state-funded personal assistance and an increase in rejected applications. This paper examines the reasons for the deterioration of eligibility criteria for accessing personal assistance in Sweden. The findings shed light on how legal and administrative interpretations of “basic needs” are shifting from a social to a medical understanding. They also highlight a shift from collaborative policy making towards conflict, where courts have become the battleground for defining eligibility criteria. Drawing on the findings, we ask if Sweden is violating its obligations under the Convention.

Keywords: independent living; personal assistance; Sweden; the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D78 E61 E62 F13 F42 F68 K0 K1 K2 K3 K4 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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