IMPLEMENTATION OF UN STANDARD RULES

Since 1996 the Municipality of Kolding has been working on the implementation of the United Nations' standard rules for handicapped person from the principle that the standard rules must form part of the planning of all new initiatives. Taking in consideration that it is not possible to change the whole town at a single blow, the work was started from the principle to ensure that accessibility is part of the municipality's future planning.

In order to organise the work, the municipal board of directors set up a steering committee. Subsequently, a parallel group nominated by that committee drew up a plan for the execution of the project. This plan implied that the project was to be a co-operation project between the handicap organisations and the Municipality of Kolding, in order that the organisations had the possibility to leave their marks on the implementation of the standard rules.

In the succeeding phase four cooperation groups were set up with representatives from the handicap organisations and from the involved branches of the municipal administration. The action areas were physical accessibility; education, leisure time activities, and sports, culture and occupation and social security.

The purpose of the groups was primarily to create co-operation bodies attached to the individual action areas and to prepare a survey of the activities and the planning material concerning handicapped persons that already existed within the involved branches of the municipal administration. After the groups had prepared their interim result the steering committee and Kolding Handicap Advisory Board decided that the work with the United Nations' standard rules was to be a part of the municipal planning.

In December 2000 City Council approved a proposal to secure further work with UN's standard rules. The proposal means that the work on implementing the standard rules as its starting point chooses a reference group. The task of the reference group is to follow the above 4 main action areas which are being dealt with by the co-operation groups. The reference group is responsible for the fact that the handicap organisations are ensured influence at new initiatives or at existing activities. This may, for instance, take place by way of participation in planning or consultative assistance in connection with, e. g. building activity, or by submitting the matter to relevant organisations or individuals.