As in Lisbon, or in other cities in Portugal, hundreds of people, often with disabilities, took to the streets on Sunday to make their voices heard.
What these demonstrators are demanding: more inclusive policies in this country, where people living with disabilities continue to face numerous obstacles in areas such as education, health, access to employment and even leisure. .
“I have been disabled for 60 years and have always fought for more inclusive policies for people living with disabilities. Unfortunately, there has been very little progress“, explains Maria Carvalho, a demonstrator.
After Estonia and Denmark, Portugal is the EU country with the highest proportion of people with disabilities in 2022, according to Eurostat.
Within the European Union, 27% of the population aged over 16 had some form of disability in 2022. This is equivalent to 101 million people, or one in four adults.