Are you interested in strategic litigation and defending the rights of persons with disabilities? Join our Liti-Gate Mentoring Programme, designed to support activists, advocates, and legal professionals in understanding and applying EU law to promote disability rights.
Background
This mentoring activity is part of the LITI-GATE project, a joint initiative coordinated by Validity, with the participation of ENIL and Victim Support Europe (VSE). The project aims to strengthen the capacity of individuals and organisations to use strategic litigation as a tool for social change, particularly to advance the rights of persons with disabilities.
The mentoring programme is a complementary activity to the regional trainings, offering a more focused and interactive learning experience. Participants will have the opportunity to explore legal strategies, share challenges, and learn from real or potential litigation cases through a peer-based and participatory format.
For this round of the mentoring programme, we will place a particular focus on access to Personal Assistance (PA). This follows recent discussions within ENIL and the findings of the Independent Living Survey (2022), which highlighted widespread challenges across Europe in terms of underfunding, restricted eligibility, lack of portability, and insufficient user control over PA schemes. Participants will be encouraged to reflect on these issues within their national contexts and explore possible legal or advocacy strategies to address them. While this round of the programme will primarily focus on issues related to Personal Assistance (PA), participants are also welcome to bring other relevant cases or challenges they are currently working on.
How will it work?
The programme consists of two online roundtable-style discussions, led by facilitators from Validity and ENIL. Rather than traditional one-on-one mentoring, the sessions will focus on collective learning and mutual exchange. Activities may include:
- Group discussions based on real or potential litigation cases.
- Simulations on how to use the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in national contexts.
- Peer exchange on common legal challenges across countries, with a special emphasis on Personal Assistance rights.
After receiving registrations, we will send a short poll to agree on the most suitable dates for the meetings.
Who can participate?
To ensure the mentoring is practical and meaningful, participants should come with a concrete case, problem, or systemic issue they would like to explore. This could be:
- A case they are directly involved in,
- A situation affecting someone they know, or
- A broader structural problem they wish to address through litigation or advocacy.
We welcome applications from:
- Persons with disabilities interested in legal and rights-based advocacy.
- Disability rights advocates, lawyers, or legal experts working on related issues.
- Members of ENIL’s network or partners in the LITI-GATE project.
We expect to have 10–15 participants in total, with at least 2 persons with disabilities per participating country. Participation is free of charge.
What will you gain?
- A chance to deepen your understanding of strategic litigation and EU disability law, especially in the context of Personal Assistance.
- Guidance from experienced facilitators.
- A collaborative space to exchange experiences with peers across Europe.
- An opportunity to reflect on your own national context and explore possible legal or advocacy strategies.
Format and Accessibility
🧑🏫 Facilitators: Experts from Validity and ENIL
🌍 Format: Two online meetings via Zoom (dates to be agreed via poll with participants)
📢 Language: English (with captioning and accessible participation options)
✏️ Participants will be able to contribute in writing if preferred, and plain language will be used throughout.
