Mentally or physically handicapped people are, sometimes, discriminated because of their handicap. They are ridiculed, sworn at or people make fun of them. This isn’t nice for those who are ridiculed. Fortunately, most of the people living in this world know that you need to respect others. So you have to respect handicapped people too.

Often, physically handicapped people don’t have a mental handicap. But they are discriminated too. For example when they try to find a job. In April 2003 a new regulation is made to prevent this. You can find this regulation on the website www.handicap.nl.

The regulation against discrimination for physical handicapped people.
Equal treatment and same chances like everybody. This is the meaning of the new regulation. The regulations are made as a ‘construction box’. To start with, the equal treatment is done in different stages, that is during work, by professional education and in public transport. Other stages, like recreation, public services, and living) might be added to the new regulation in future.

Work
By the new regulation, it is forbidden to discriminate handicapped people at paid work. Next points are named emphatically as grounds in which employers are not allowed to make a difference between people with and people without a handicap:
• On presenting work and on settling applications. It is an employer’s obligation to get extra services so that it’s possible for handicapped people to work there. With this, extra service on the job isn’t the only thing which needs to be changed; also the possibilities to reach the building need to be changed.
• When new people are going to work there, and when people are fired.
• On employment-finding
• On making new conditions of employment (for example the hight of the salary)
• On promotions
When employers do discriminate in these stages, people may complain about this, at the ‘Commision Equal Threatment’, or even, get these employers to the judge to get your rights.

Vocational education
By the new regulation it is forbidden to discriminate handicapped people in vocational education:
• By giving career-orientation and by informing about their choice of career
• By giving entrance to vocational education, education and preliminary examinations, and examinations.
This suppression includes also that supervisor of this service needs to adapt the building, so that it’s accessible, can be reached by everyone, and is useful to handicapped people.

Public transport
The regulation for equal treatment at public transport is still a bit vague. Basically trains, busses, trams, and subways need to be accessible for handicapped people as well as for people without a handicap.
This includes the accessibility of the railway station, busstops, platforms, etc. The travel information needs to be useful for everyone, so also for deaf and blind people and for people with poor eyesight. At this moment, the public transport in the Netherlands isn’t accessible or useful for handicapped people. Some years ago people made an appointment that in 2010 the bus transport needs to be useful for handicapped people, and trams, trains in 2030.

The new regulation also includes that the cabinet needs to decide in a Law where the accessible-aims of the public transport need to suffice of. As a handicapped individual you can’t go to the judge any more to get entrance to transport. So everything depends on how strict the law is. Apparently, this all has to do with the amount of money that the cabinet wants to spend for accessibility of local transport.

Exceptions
Sometimes it is allowed to make a difference between handicapped people and others. When the regulation has started the judge (if necessary) will say whether making a difference is correctly or not. This, depends on the situation of course.
• When it is necessary due to the safety of the handicapped people they may be treated differently.
• As a handicapped person, you may be biased, if this is necessary to get equal chances. An example of this is the free ride for an assistant of a handicapped person.

Addition
The ‘Tweede Kamer’ (House of Parliament) has asked the cabinet to make a proposal add something to the new regulation: accessibility of public buildings, public services and living.