When Legislation Is Not Enough: The Adverse Environment for Independent Living in Hungary

The history of disability policies in Hungary is one of legal progress since the 1990s and EU-funded investments since 2004, yet mixed outcomes for disabled people. To date this paradox remains unexplored, especially how it plays out in the lived experiences of disabled people and their families. This paper aims to fill this knowledge-gap by exploring disabled people’s experiences of independent living over the past three decades in Hungary. Based upon 53 life course interviews – 34 with disabled people and 19 with family members – we identify seven barriers to independent living in Hungary, which create an adverse environment. We also highlight a number of facilitators that help people to overcome or mitigate this adverse environment. In the conclusion, we discuss trends in Hungarian disability policies that impact opportunities for independent living. Results suggest decades of human-rights inspired legal progress has made little difference in people’s lived realities.