Mental Health Europe launches animated video to raise awareness on persons with disabilities

Mental Health Europe envisions a Europe where people with mental health problems live as full citizens with access to appropriate services and support. Recently, they have launched an animated video on Article 27 of the Convention of the Rights of Persones with Disabilities (UN CRPD) on the right to work. This article recognises that every person with a disability including people with psychosocial disabilities have the right to work like everyone else and should never be discriminated against. Therefore, the video is a tool to raise awareness on the rights of people with disabilities that are recognised thanks to this binding United Nations human rights treaty.
 

The video is bidding for equal opportunities to gain a living in a save working environment that is open, inclusive and accessible to all. Support in the job search for people with psychosocial disabilities is a key element that the video also underlines. To give an example, they show the case of Amy, an employee with a psychosocial disability working in a company that was afraid of losing her job, her colleagues and her career. On the video she is anxious with the situation, she isn’t getting much sleep because she is worried about what will happen if they find out about her disability. Lack of awareness, stigma, misconceptions or discrimination is some of the key words that appear in the video.

Mental Health Europe is an international non-profit organisation established in 1985 and recognised under Belgian Law. One of their main pieces of work is Mapping Exclusion, published in 2012, which consists of mapping institutional and community care in the mental health field in Europe. Among other issues, they monitor research and analyse EU policy proposals, decisions, legislation and discussions in policy fields relevant to mental health. Also, MHE areas of focus are human rights, EU social and health policies. Finally, based on their analyses and close consultation with their membership, they formulate position papers to engage in a dialogue with the European institutions and other key stakeholders.