New Finnish Disability Law Creates Bureaucratic Hurdles

Finland's new disability services law, intended to foster greater equality and participation, is inadvertently creating new hurdles for individuals with disabilities. Veli Riihelä, a resident of Vantaa with cerebral palsy since birth, feels the law has made everyday tasks more complicated.

Previously, Riihelä could easily arrange a trip to Stockholm by informing the disability services of the Vantaa and Kerava wellbeing services county (VAKE). He would then proceed to the port. However, under the new law, Riihelä states that leaving home is not considered an "essential need" by disability services, making even simple excursions like a cruise a bureaucratic challenge.

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The ship to Stockholm departs at 5 p.m. A personal assistant will accompany me.

"The ship to Stockholm departs at 5 p.m. A personal assistant will accompany me," Riihelä recounted, illustrating the previous ease of planning. The new regulations require extensive paperwork and a lengthy waiting period, with Riihelä needing to submit forms half a year in advance for a trip he previously arranged with minimal notice. This process, he argues, contradicts the law's stated goals of enhancing inclusivity and making life easier for those with disabilities.

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Leaving home is not considered an "essential need" by disability services.