Hearing in the family and culture committee

Today, board member of Løvemammaene, Guri Wevelstad participated in an oral hearing in the family and culture committee regarding the State Budget 2025. Guri spoke about the importance of ensuring that children and young people with serious illness and functional variation are also given the opportunity to participate in activities. Furthermore, she argued why ASK must be incorporated into the Language Act now.

Due to only 3 minutes available, there was no time to talk about the CRPD and universal design, but below you can read what the Løvemammaene have submitted regarding this as well as everything Guri said in her consultation input. The oral consultation input can be seen on "Løvemammaenes kamp" on Facebook.

Subsidy for the inclusion of children and young people  

Before coping and social participation can be achieved at all, many children and their families have to go through a process of their own. Their ability to participate depends on the municipality's allocation office. First, it is decided whether the application for support contact, relief or BPA is to be granted or refused, and the children are left at the mercy of the outcome. Many children and young people are refused the application for this necessary help to be able to participate, and thus the appeal process is underway: First to the municipality and then on to the state administrator. It can often take up to two years before a final decision on participation is made. These are years without coping and social participation. The long complaint processes and lack of necessary services are also reflected in the more than 100,000 annual inquiries we at Løvemammaene receive each year. The Løvemammaene run a help service where we assist our members free with this application and appeal process. We help them all the way, regardless of how long the complaint process takes. The waiting list at Løvemammaene's help service is increasing despite the fact that we are working as fast as we can. If alienation is to be prevented and fought, you politicians must recognize that not only funds are required for activities. There needs to be a grant pool in place that provides support for the job that actually ensures that these children get out of the house. Løvemammaene's help service assists around a thousand families a year, but we live on grace and can disappear at any time. It is therefore urgent to put such a subsidy scheme in place. Without Løvemammaene's help service, many children, young people and their families will not be granted the necessary help they are entitled to in order to participate, and a lack of this will end up in ostracism.  

ASK – Alternative supplementary communication  

Since 2020, an investigative decision to incorporate symbolic languages into the Language Act has been awaited. The government proposes to see the decision in the context of the follow-up of the investigation "NOU 2023: 13 High time - Realization of the rights of the disabledr" which is also clear that ASK must be included in the Language Act in the same way as sign language. We currently have an estimated 7,500 children in Norway who use ASK as their form of communication. I myself have a 4-year-old daughter who is non-verbal, but thanks to ASK, in her case sign-to-speech and a speech machine, she can communicate with us parents, siblings, assistants and other children in the nursery. Why shouldn't she have a statutory right to be able to communicate with others? Why shouldn't her language be as valuable as our verbal language? Language and communication are a prerequisite for being able to learn, develop and express needs, not least to be social and participate in society in general. ASK must be incorporated into the Language Act now. It is urgent for the Ministry of Culture and Equality to follow up on the request decision.   

CRPD  

Reference is made to the CRPD in the government's budget proposal, about the will to incorporate the CRPD into Norwegian law, as well as the study and report where all but one member believed that the convention should be incorporated. But what happens now? It has been very quiet from the government since the report came out. Is the will gone? We must stop talking about the CRPD and referring to it as a "project" as it is referred to in the budget presentation on page 143. The CRPD is not a project, it is an equality tool. The absence of the incorporation of the CRPD leads to a loss of rights, a lack of quality of life, independence and opportunities, and not least alienation. That this work has not progressed further is absolutely insane. The lion mothers believe that the CRPD must be incorporated into Norwegian law now.  

Universal design and increased accessibility  

In 2024, the government launched the action plan "all included" as an important tool in the work to reduce barriers, and it is positive that the government will put forward a plan to include all children who want it in sports teams and outdoor activities locally. The Løvemammaen believe that this work must be seen in close connection with universal design and grants to sports teams. The government's action plan for universal design must be followed up further, because here we are far from the target. The lion mothers are very disappointed that "Roadmap for universal design”is not given space or priority in the state budget, and expects the government to prioritize funds for this from 2025 onwards.  

With best regards  
The lion mothers