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.

Transport accessibility

Metro network

Of the 69 stations in the Brussels underground network:

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

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.

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:

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 monitor

• 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 DPR: the text, presented on 24 February 2026, may contain specific commitments on Phare and disability
• STIB 100% accessible: no public timeline for the remaining 14 stations (5 being equipped + 3 in preparation + 6 under study)
• Handistreaming: the 2019-2024 end-of-legislature report has not been made public; the new legislature must clarify its commitments
• 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.