Join the seminar on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December

The With reasonable accommodation towards equality - domestic and international perspectives seminar will increase awareness of the equality of persons with disabilities.

Program:
1.00 pm Welcome to the university speech by Professor Hisayo Katsui, University of Helsinki and Opening remarks by Sirpa Puhakka, Chairperson of the Helsinki Disability Council
1.10 pm Short film: Noora: Dance Film
1.20 pm Guide to Reasonable Accommodation for Students: Anu Welling, University of Helsinki and Chairperson of Rampaopiskelijat ry
1.40 pm Services at the University of Helsinki: Anu Lehtinen, Student Psychologist, University of Helsinki
1.50 pm Short break
2.00 pm Reasonable Accommodation from a Global Perspective, Part I (in English):
H.E. Belén Sapag Muñoz de la Peña, Ambassador of Chile to Finland. Finnish translation as text.
2.20 pm Reasonable Accommodation from a Global Perspective, Part II (in English):
H.E. Petri Puhakka, Ambassador of Disability Inclusion, Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
Finnish translation as text.
2.35 pm Key takeaways: Professor Hisayo Katsui, University of Helsinki (in Finnish and English)
2.40 pm Accessibility and Inclusion Award presentation: Sari Sepponen, Vice-Chairperson of the Helsinki
Disability Council
3.00 pm–3.50 pm Coffee and networking

Reasonable accommodation allows persons with disabilities to lead an equal life

Reasonable accommodation Reasonable accommodation can be made at schools and educational institutions by providing the necessary aids in the classroom, developing study completion opportunities and accommodating teaching.

Learn more about the reasonable accommodations on the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman’s website(Link leads to external service)

“The situation at the University of Helsinki is not yet ideal. Anu Welling, Chairperson of the Crip Student Organisation of disabled students at the University of Helsinki, will talk about the current state of the implementation of reasonable accommodation at the seminar,” says Professor Hisayo Katsui from the University of Helsinki.

Reasonable accommodation in working life can mean, for example, adapting the workstation to suit the employee and introducing different working methods or IT arrangements.

In restaurants, a visually impaired customer can be informed about the contents of the menu. Speaking clearly to a hearing-impaired customer and looking at their direction. A sign language interpreter is used in all situations where the customer is accompanied by an interpreter.

According to the Non-Discrimination Act, an authority, education provider, employer or provider of goods and services has to make due and appropriate adjustments necessary in order to ensure the equality of persons with disabilities.
 
“The assessment of reasonable accommodation must take into account the individual situation of each person with a disability. Failure to provide accommodation is considered discrimination under the Non-Discrimination Act,” reminds Sirpa Puhakka, Chairperson of the Helsinki Council on Disability.

The 2024 accessibility award will be presented in connection with the seminar

The recipient the accessibility award of the Helsinki Council on Disability will be announced during the seminar. The award is given annually to a location that has promoted equitable participation and easy access to services for disabled and chronically ill residents.

Previous recipients of the award include the Selkeästi meille project (2023), cooperation in the planning and implementation of the Pasila Station and Tripla (2022), the renovation of the Olympic Stadium (2021), the accessible nature trail on Lammassaari Island (2020), the Helsinki Central Library Oodi (2019), Helsinki Region Transport HSL for public transport stop announcements (2018), Port of Helsinki for the accessibility of the West Terminal (2017) and Project Manager Mirjam Heikkinen for the development of an accessibility application for the Service Map (2016).

The Helsinki Council on Disability promotes the equality and participation of disabled and chronically ill residents.

Register for the seminar in advance

“The seminar will be held in Finnish and is open to all. As organises, we hope that participants will register by 25 November. The Minerva Square at the University of Helsinki can accommodate a hundred participants,” says Tiina Lappalainen, an expert on the participation of disabled Helsinki residents and secretary of the Helsinki Council on Disability.

Speech-to-text and sign language interpretation are only available on location at the seminar (Siltavuorenpenger 5 A) location at the seminar and when participating via Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to those who have registered in advance.

The event will be organised by the Helsinki Council on Disability, the University of Helsinki and the Finnish Society for Disability Research. 

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities has already been celebrated more than 30 times

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities, declared by the United Nations (UN), has been celebrated since 1992.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was adopted in 2006. It entered into force in Finland in 2016. The Convention emphasises the equality, equity and rights of persons with disabilities in society.