Accessibility and disability in Brussels: transport, employment and data

Key data

In 2024, Belgium had 253,866 disability allowance recipients (income replacement allowance and/or integration allowance), representing 2.7% of the population aged 18 and over. The Brussels-Capital Region accounts for 9.1% of this total, approximately 23,100 people.

The number of recipients continues to rise: +4.7% compared to 2023 (242,454). Among them, 52.4% are women and 47.3% are aged 55 or over. The average monthly allowance amounts to 934 EUR (current prices, 2024).

In 2024, 163,337 applications were registered by the Directorate General for Persons with Disabilities (DG HAN), an increase of 17.2% compared to 2021.

Iriscare's Centre for Autonomy and Disability Assessment (CEAH) processed 9,406 new applications in 2025. Iriscare sent 14,490 European Disability Cards to Brussels residents (6,320 in 2024, 5,871 in 2025).

Coverage in the DPR

The Regional Policy Declaration (DPR) of 13 February 2026 mentions handistreaming only once, in the cross-cutting chapter. Key findings:

• No dedicated section on disability or accessibility
• No specific budget, no quantified target, no timeline
• Phare (COCOF Service) is not mentioned
• Transport accessibility is not addressed from a disability perspective
• The European Disability Card (mandatory 2028) does not appear
• The European Accessibility Act (in force since June 2025) is not mentioned

This contrasts with the handistreaming ordinance of 8 December 2016, which requires the Brussels-Capital Region to systematically incorporate disability into all regional policies, including public procurement and subsidies. The government is required to submit an interim report and an end-of-legislature report to Parliament.

COCOF Handistreaming Report (January 2022)

The first report of the 2019-2024 legislature by the Brussels Francophone Government on handistreaming was submitted to Parliament on 27 January 2022. This 62-page document reveals:

• COCOF is the only Brussels-level authority to have met its disability employment quota: 5% of staff (50 employees as of 1 September 2021), in line with the statutory target
• A coordination group met 9 times between 2019 and 2021 (5 in 2019-2020, 4 in 2021)
• A diversity manager has been in post since 1 January 2022
• The "Midis du Handicap" (awareness sessions) gathered approximately 130 participants before being suspended due to COVID
• School transport: 221 routes, 3,170 pupils transported daily, 44 school sites, 205 attendants
• Key obstacle identified: statistical data collection is hindered by the stigma perceived by the persons concerned

The end-of-legislature report for 2019-2024 has not been identified as published at this stage.

Source: Brussels Francophone Parliament, document 77 (2021-2022) n.1.

Transport accessibility

Metro network

Of the 69 stations in the Brussels underground network:

Diamant, Stockel, Osseghem and Etangs Noirs stations were included in the 2025 programme. The objective remains full equipment of all 69 stations, but no public timetable has been communicated for the remaining 12.

Buses and trams

• 100% of the bus fleet is equipped with access ramps
• 55% of trams and buses have external audio announcements (mid-2022)
• The new TNG trams include manual ramps as standard
• M7 metro trains (2021) feature passive platform gap-filling systems at doors

STIB Taxibus: end of PRM minibus service (March 2026)

The STIB Taxibus service has undergone a progressive deterioration in 2025-2026:

Timeline:

• 22 July 2025: STIB limits the service to 60 trips/month per user (budget constraints)
• 10 March 2026: the Alteo petition exceeds 1,000 signatures, triggering a parliamentary debate. Users demand the removal of the 60-trip cap
• 17 March 2026: the Mobility Minister confirms in a Brussels Parliament committee the non-renewal of the fleet of 12 Taxibus minibuses. Transition to private taxis by end 2027

Usage data 2025: the Taxibus completed 202,091 trips in 2025 (up from 40,000 in 2016), of which 85% by taxi and 15% by minibus. Minibuses will be removed by 2028 (LEZ non-compliance).

Financial impact: estimated cost of €2 → €5-8 per trip for users. The regional grant has been increased from 4.7 to €6.7 million/year (+2M), but the fleet renewal surcharge (€4.5M) is deemed unfundable. The PRM budget represents 0.1% of the regional budget.

Alteo demands: return to the pre-July 2025 service, 30-day advance booking (until 7 PM the day before), better punctuality, user consultation.

Sources: La Libre (17 March 2026), BX1 (10 March 2026), DH (10 and 18 March 2026).

Surface stops

STIB has over 2,000 surface stops. The Strategic Accessibility Plan (PSMA) provides for the improvement of 50 stops per year. Priority targets stops near hospitals, shopping centres, schools and high-traffic locations.

Digital tools

• AccessiBus (2021): real-time bus network accessibility verification
• AccessiTram (30 April 2024): same tool extended to the tram network
• The STIB website holds the AnySurfer accessibility certification

Employment and disability

Sheltered workshops (ETA)

Brussels has 12 sheltered workshops (ETA), all constituted as non-profit organisations and accredited by the Service Phare (COCOF). They employ approximately 1,450 workers with disabilities in 60 different trades, supervised by some 370 able-bodied workers (supervisors and support staff).

Sectors covered:

• Packaging and manufacturing (6 ETA): APAM, APRE, Brochage Renaître, Groupe Foes, Travco, Travie
• Green spaces and environment (3 ETA): La Ferme Nos Pilifs, Les Jeunes Jardiniers, La Serre-Outil
• Office work and printing (3 ETA): Citeco, Manufast, L'Ouvroir

Public service quotas

Brussels public services are subject to disability employment quotas at multiple levels, but no administration meets its legal target:

At municipal level, disparities are significant: from 0.36% (Ganshoren) to 4.74% (Saint-Josse) in 2020. The ordinance of 2 February 2017 provides no financial sanctions — only reporting obligations to the municipal council and the Regional Parliament. The most recent compliance data comes from the 2023 Brussels Local Authorities report (data as of 30 June 2022).

The talent.brussels 2023 report notes that figures "should be interpreted with caution due to numerous missing data and the voluntary nature of disability disclosure".

Open labour market employment

Actiris offers specialised support through DiversiCom for integration into the open labour market. The ESF+ (European Social Fund Plus) targets inactive persons with disabilities, whose inactivity rate reaches 30% in Brussels.

Employment rate of persons with disabilities (Belgium)

According to a study by the King Baudouin Foundation (April 2024, 1,028 respondents), the employment rate of persons with disabilities in Belgium is 41.1% — well below the national average (~73%). Key findings:

• 65% consider that non-disabled candidates are systematically favoured in recruitment
• 30%+ do not receive financial support or are unaware of their entitlement
• 63% are not certain they receive all the support to which they are entitled (76% among those with low qualifications)
• 82% consider financial support "crucial" to make ends meet
• 44% prefer volunteering, perceived as less stressful than employment

The study recommends a less stigmatising administrative framework, focused on inclusion rather than incapacity for work.

Source: King Baudouin Foundation, April 2024.

Discrimination

UNIA registered 1,267 reports related to disability in 2024 at national level, resulting in 582 cases — the highest figure in five years. Disability accounts for 28% of all UNIA cases, just behind racism. 35% of disability cases concern employment discrimination.

In Brussels specifically, UNIA handled nearly 1,300 reports across all criteria, opening 487 discrimination cases in 2024.

Individual aids and mobility

Mobility aids (Iriscare)

Since 1 January 2024, mobility aid coverage has been expanded: Brussels health insurers can now contribute towards the purchase, rental, as well as maintenance, repairs, power-assist devices and environmental control systems.

In 2024, mobility aid expenditure amounted to 5.86 million EUR for 40,234 services:

Income replacement allowance: +2% in 2026

The federal government decided in December 2025 to increase the income replacement allowance (ARR) for single persons with disabilities by 2%, on top of normal indexation. This increase, effective in 2026 and renewed in 2028, represents a cumulative impact of approximately +600 EUR/year by 2028. Approximately 70,351 single persons receive the ARR in Belgium (August 2025). The poverty risk among single ARR recipients reaches nearly 80%.

Source: La Libre / Belga (14 December 2025).

Service Phare (COCOF)

Service Phare, an administrative directorate of COCOF, accredits and subsidises Brussels-based facilities for persons with disabilities: day centres, adapted collective housing, support services, sheltered workshops. It also manages the personal assistance budget (BAP).

Since 2024, the management of individual technical aid grants has been transferred to Iriscare (COCOM / Joint Community Commission), which delegates it to health insurers.

The Service Phare website has been closed and redirected to ccf.brussels (COCOF) and handicap.brussels (information portal).

European framework

Several European instruments apply directly to Brussels:

• European Accessibility Act (Directive 2019/882): in force since 28 June 2025. Requires the accessibility of digital products and services (ATMs, payment terminals, e-commerce, banking services). Fines of up to 200,000 EUR per infringement in Belgium.

• European Disability Card (Directives 2024/2841 and 2024/2842): mandatory across all 27 Member States by 28 June 2028. Belgium is one of 7 pilot countries. Iriscare has been issuing the card to Brussels residents since 2024 (14,490 cards sent).

• UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD): Belgium was reviewed in September 2024. The Committee issued criticisms regarding accessibility, employment and deinstitutionalisation.

• PRM transport regulations: rail passenger rights (2021/782), air passenger rights (1107/2006) and bus/coach passenger rights (181/2011) — all applicable in Brussels.

• ESF+: Actiris is the managing authority for Brussels. The fund specifically targets inactive persons with disabilities.

Distribution of competences

Issues to follow

• European Accessibility Act: no compliance monitoring mechanism has been identified in Belgium at this stage
• European Disability Card: transition from 7 pilot countries to 27 mandatory Member States by June 2028
• COCOF DPC: the Community Policy Declaration was presented on 23 February 2026 — to be checked for commitments on Phare and disability
• STIB 100% accessible: 57/69 stations equipped; no public timetable for the remaining 12
• Handistreaming: the first report (2022) has been published; the end-of-legislature report for 2019-2024 has not been identified; the new legislature must clarify its commitments
• STIB Taxibus: PRM minibus service ending confirmed (end 2027), transition to private taxis — monitor fare impact and service quality
• Brussels Accessibility Conference: the 2nd edition (CAWaB, 3 June 2025) brought together Visit.Brussels, STIB, SNCB, Brussels Mobility and Brussels Housing — recommendations to be followed up
• UNIA: upward trend in disability reports (+28% of all cases in 2024)

What the data does not show

Certain dimensions of disability in Brussels lack structured public data:

• Unified regional PRM register: there is no consolidated register of the total number of persons with disabilities in Brussels. FPS figures (allowances) and Iriscare figures (assessments) cover different scopes and cannot be added together.
• Private building accessibility: no public data on the compliance of housing, shops or offices with accessibility standards.
• EAA compliance: the European Accessibility Act has been in force since June 2025, but no assessment of the compliance of Brussels digital services is available.
• Phare/COCOF budget: the Service Phare budget is not published as open data. Estimating the overall disability funding in Brussels is impossible without this figure.
• Daily PRM experience: there is no barometer measuring the lived experience of persons with disabilities in transport, public spaces or Brussels services.