COCEMFE alert poverty increased in persons with disabilities.

-Cuts in social services, health, dependency, education and employment could worsen the situation
COCEMFE requests to increase the levels of protection of persons with disabilities and structural measures ending discrimination of this collective

Madrid, August 2012.- the Spanish Confederation of people with physical disabilities and organic (COCEMFE) want to alert to the risk management they can lead to the collective that represents the cuts that are being carried out at all levels in social services, health, dependency, education and employment.

Persons with disabilities have an income 25% lower than the population in general, more than half in a situation of extreme poverty and in our country there is 21,200 people with disabilities who live a month only with a non-contributory pension, (357,70 EUR/month). This is therefore very inferior to what is accepted as the threshold of poverty (627 EUR/month), which is the level of minimum income necessary to acquire an adequate standard of living; and the indicator public income multiple effects (IPREM), set at 532,5 euros per month.

These data show that there is an underworld within disability, are people who can hardly spend each month to receive a ridiculous income which nothing can support their personal autonomy and social integration ” complaint Mario Garcia, President of COCEMFE.

Persons with disabilities are forced to make economic strain to improve their conditions of life that takes a large part of their income. This should add the increases in rates and taxes, social cuts and co-payments all administrations are carried out, causing serious injury to the integration and normalization of this group as your financial situation.

Mario García believes that the Executive should increase the levels of protection of persons with disabilities, rather than to be the first in see affected by the cuts, promote structural measures that commit to the social inclusion of the collective, fighting strongly against discrimination in the labour and educational field, unemployment and job insecurity ”.

The rate of people with disabilities who have completed secondary or higher studies represents less than half the population in general (only 12% versus 30%). Therefore the entity noted the importance of enhancing that this collective reaches the level of secondary education, since to increase the options of finding a job and access to higher educational levels, it would also have the possibility of obtaining higher economic remuneration.

And a firm commitment by the incorporation of this collective employment is also essential, whether regular, with or without support or protected. In this area, the inequalities are also evident, since the rate of activity is 36.2%, almost 40 points lower than the non-disabled population.

Therefore, Mario García considers unavoidable rectify the reduction of subsidies in the special employment centres, where State funds are essential to its sustainability and operation, and complying laws in the field of integration of our group, namely the LISMI, which the majority of the companies repeatedly breaches without any militants ”.