In 2025, the European Disability Forum (EDF) Youth Committee surveyed 183 respondents across the European Union and beyond to gather data about the experiences of young people with disabilities in Europe and help inform policies and programmes designed to support young people with disabilities. The results have informed The Right to Shape our Future, EDF’s second Manifesto on the Rights of Young Persons with Disabilities.
The right to live in a just and accessible society
For too long, accessibility has been treated as a “polite suggestion” rather than a fundamental right. Persons with disabilities face a “disability tax” – paying more for housing, transport, and healthcare while navigating a world designed without them in mind. From silent bus stops to inaccessible cafes, the environment remains hostile to independence. True equality requires an infrastructure that anticipates diversity, not one that treats it as an afterthought.
The right to form your own future
Autonomy begins with education and ends with a career, yet many young people with disabilities are funnelled into segregated systems that limit potential. When schools are segregated, society remains ignorant; when workplaces lack accommodations, talent is wasted. The “poverty trap” – where earning a salary leads to a total loss of essential social support – effectively punishes ambition and forces poverty.
The right to shape society
“Nothing about us without us” is not just a slogan; it is a prerequisite for democracy. Currently, information is often locked behind inaccessible formats, and the media either ignores disabled lives or reduces them to stereotypes. Without voices of persons with disabilities in parliaments, newsrooms, and film studios, the cycle of exclusion will never be broken.
Download and read the manifesto
Read the full manifesto and calls to action for policy makers and the European Disability Movement: