Current best practices

• Author: Lopes, Dulce; Vicente, Joana
• Pages: 82-82

82

10 CURRENT BEST PRACTICES

In the field of education, pupils with disabilities follow special programmes in basic and

secondary-level schools that support mainstream education. In higher education, faculties

have an admissions quota of 2 % of their total intake reserved for students with disabilities.

People with disabilities are exempt from any fees in the national public health service

(Serviço Nacional de Saúde – SNS), as long as they can provide proof of their disability.

People with disabilities are entitled to buy certain special means of transport (cars,

wheelchairs) at reduced rates of tax. The Institute for Employment and Vocational Training

may sponsor the adaptation of cars for people with disabilities if they can prove that they

need a car to carry out their work.

Generic NGOPDs (NGOs that represent people with disabilities in general) are entitled to

financial support through the INR.105 The INR is a public institution, and funding therefore

comes from the state budget according to the criteria for equality and equity set out in

cooperation protocols adopted by the NGOPDs and the INR. After approval, the criteria are

published on the INR website, and funding is subsequently awarded.

As far as minority ethnic groups are concerned, immigrants, especially newcomers, face

competitive disadvantages or specific vulnerabilities that require effective positive action

measures in order to achieve equality. To achieve such objectives, programmes and actions

that allow immigrants to be properly received are being developed, such as the National

Immigrant Support System, with initiatives such as the national immigrant support

centres. These support centres combine the presence of the public bodies with which

immigrants have to engage with a diversified set of support offices (dealing with family

reunification, employment, legal support, and so on), which speeds up their access to

fundamental rights.

Although instances of administrative and judicial vindication of discrimination claims are

still scarce in Portugal, the tide seems to be turning. In some areas, such as harassment

in the spheres of employment and housing, the change has been quite evident. This points

to an increasing awareness of equality and non-discrimination rights, and to greater

knowledge and functioning of the legal system in this area.

105 See Decree-Law 31/2012, approving the structure of the National Institute for Rehabilitation (Lei orgânica

do Instituto Nacional para a Reabilitação), 9 February 2012, repealing Decree–Law 217/2007 of 29 May

2007, available at: https://dre.pt/pesquisa/-/search/543729/details/maximized.