Overcoming obstacles to equality: the battle for disability rights in the EU

In the European Union as a whole, 101 million adults have some form of disability: that's in excess of a quarter of the European population. More than half of them say they are discriminated against. A third of disabled people are at risk of poverty. The national inclusion policies of the EU Member States vary widely. Europeans' Stories visited the Netherlands, where a large number of measures have been implemented to guarantee the rights of people with disabilities.

However, the UN recently criticised the country for the inequalities and shortcomings that still exist in this area. Amsterdam, the capital, has more facilities adapted for disabled people than many of Europe's major cities. "You'd have to be a top-class athlete to use a wheelchair in Amsterdam," exclaims Kees-Jan van der Klooster, as he slaloms through the narrow streets lining Amsterdam's famous canal.

Paralysed from the waist down since 2001 following a snowboarding accident, he is a multi-medalled Paralympic ski champion. "Amsterdam is an old city, a lot of buildings have small staircases, so it's difficult to get to them in a wheelchair. Or to cross the curved bridges," continues Kees-Jan, as he climbs one of them from the narrow pavement to the road. "But we have to be realistic," he continues. "We can't transform all the old buildings or flatten the bridges! We have to find other solutions. You can adapt the world [to disabled people], but I think sometimes people have to adapt too," he says.

Since retiring from competitive sport a few years ago, Kees-Jan has devoted his time to the training courses offered by the company he set up after his accident. The aim is to teach disabled people to overcome the obstacles they face. A pragmatic approach, the