ENIL’s member in Hungary, the National Federation of Associations of People with a Physical Disability (MEOSZ) published a statement earlier this week rejecting their country’s 2019 – 2036 Deinstitutionalisation strategy and calling on the Government to adopt a new strategy that will include measures to facilitate access to the right to live independently and to…
ENIL Youth Network is looking for Board members. Below you will find the call with information about how to join, as well as an essay by Marijeta Mojašević, one of the current Board members, on why you should join. The Youth Network is excited to announce the call for nominations for the ENIL Youth Network…
Earlier in May, we had a chance to take part in this year’s Nordic Network on Disability Research (NNDR) Conference, which was titled ‘Inclusion and Exclusion in the Welfare Society’, and took place in Copenhagen, Denmark. The conference brought together lecturers and researchers in disability studies from across the globe, though most were from the…
On 14 May, the Disability High Level Group (DHLG) came together in Brussels for their annual meeting. DHLG is composed of representatives of the Member States (typically from ministries dealing with social affairs) and is also attended by organisations of and for people with disabilities. ENIL was represented by our President Kapka Panayotova, and Nadia…
Independent living and accessibility are rights of persons with disabilities every society has to provide, and the state has to enable and support them. This is the message that was sent from the event on the occasion of the European Independent Living Day and the Global Accessibility Awareness Day, which was held in Podgorica on…
The 6th European Independent Living Day was celebrated widely in Europe and beyond. Although this year the 5th May was on Sunday (a day of rest for many), disabled people and their allies in more than 20 countries celebrated, showing that the Independent Living movement is strong and active! It showed also that it is…
The month of May is busy with several annual EU level meetings, among them the Work Forum on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Annual Convention on Inclusive Growth. ENIL attended both meetings with several representatives. The 2019 Work Forum on the CRPD brought together…
The preparations for the Freedom Drive continue. At the moment, we are hammering out the final details of the venues. We already know that the Freedom Drive conference will take place at the Charlemagne building of the European Commission in Rue de la Loi and we will have our 30th Anniversary party at the Microsoft…
With less than a month until the European Elections, the 6th European Independent Living Day will call on disabled people to go out and vote and at the same time highlight barriers to political participation. Barriers can be inaccessible polling stations, but also a total deprivation of the right to vote. To live independently, disabled…
As you all know, the European Independent Living Day – 5th May is just over a week away. This day will be a great opportunity to present our hopes, wishes and demands concerning Independent Living, the provision of personal assistance and the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD)….
On 25 March 2019, the European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) hosted an international conference under the heading ‘The Present and Future of Personal Assistance in Europe’. The conference was organised as part of the project ‘User-Led Personal Assistance in the European Union: A Critical Comparative Analysis’, conducted by Teodor Mladenov, Marie Curie Individual Fellow…
On 11-12 April, ENIL was invited to Moscow, Russia, by the Delegation of the European Union to Russia to participate in the international conference “Rights and Well-Being of People with Disabilities in Russia and the EU” (find here the programme), organized as part of the EU-funded project “Public diplomacy. EU and Russia“. The main topics…
On 14 January, ENIL, the European Disability Forum, the Validity Foundation and Disability Rights International sent a letter to the Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and labour Mobility Marianne Thyssen, asking her to ensure that, in the negotiations on the European Social Fund + (ESF+) Regulations, the wording that that ESF+ should facilitate the…
On 25 April, the Reclaiming Our Futures Alliance (ROFA), in partnership with Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) and the TUC Disabled Workers Committee, launched ROFA’s Independent Living strategy, titled ‘Independent Living for the Future – Our vision for a national independent living support system’. The launch took place in the Parliament and was hosted by…
As we edge closer to the 2019 Freedom Drive on 1 – 3 October, we would like to remind you about all the highlights of this year’s event and encourage you to register as soon as you can. 30th Anniversary: This year, ENIL is turning 30 and we will be celebrating and reflecting on our…
On 11 and 12 April Microsoft organised an EU Accessibility Summit in Brussels. Marco Carnesecchi, Office manager and Lisa Madl, ESC Trainee participated in the event, which consisted of two sessions. During the first day, there was discussion about Accessibility Research and Innovation at Microsoft and on the second day, there was a showcase of recently…
2018 was an extremely eventful year for the Independent Living in Ireland. Last July, we changed our name from Centre for Independent Living (CIL) to Independent Living Movement (ILMI) to reflect our all-Island approach. Our vision: An Ireland where disabled persons have freedom, choice and control over all aspects of their lives and can fully participate…
For the third year in a row, ENIL is hosting two European Voluntary Service volunteers at its Brussels Office, now under the new framework of the European Solidarity Corps (ESC). At the beginning of March, Lisa Madl, from Austria, joined the ENIL Secretariat and will stay with us until 31 October. Lisa will contribute to…
On 13 March, the Association for Self-Advocacy from Zagreb, Croatia and ENIL co-organised a roundtable on ‘The Process of Deinstitutionalisation in Croatia and the European Pillar of Social Rights’. The roundtable was supported by the Office of the European Parliament in Croatia and brought together all the key stakeholders involved in the process of DI…
Earlier this month, a noted academic and disability rights activist Mike Oliver passed away. He was key to the promotion and adoption of the Social Model of Disability. Oliver was revolutionary in the UK as a disabled person living independently in society. His academic work contributed to the creation of disability studies as an academic…
