When Elena called me on the morning of Wednesday, May 20, I quickly told her I didn’t have time and had pleased her she should be short. This is my standard response to phone calls when I draw. “Wait, I HAVE to tell you that. Emil died tonight. ”At that moment, I collapsed and a…
My pathway to disability research was not a straightforward one but it’s certainly an interesting one. Originally, I had studied international economics at the University of Novi Sad, Serbia, and obtained a master’s degree there but I’ve never seen myself as the practitioner in the field of finance. What’s more, I didn’t exhibit much interest…
COVID has been restricting our travel ability for a while now. To make sure we do not forget the good old time when we could travel through much of Europe without border controls, I will share with you my experience of booking a train and train assistance for a journey from Brussels (Belgium) to Rennes…
We are the FREEkey. We are a team of disabled and non-disabled people. The aim of our bottom-up initiative is to provide services that allow persons with disabilities to live in a self-determined way. This means we want to control our lives, to be able to decide on issues that concern us and are important…
On 5th May, every year since 2014, we are celebrating the European Independent Living Day, together with our members and allies. Year by year, we were becoming louder and more visible across Europe (and beyond). We had the same expectations for 2020, however the COVID-19 pandemic came and changed everything, not only for us but…
ENIL is seeking experienced translators to transcribe and translate interviews and materials on the topic of accessible transportation, as part of the TRIPS Project. Translators are needed for the following languages: Bulgarian to English; Croatian to English; Dutch to English; Portuguese to English; Swedish to English; Italian to English. We welcome proposals from individual candidates…
Brussels, 5th May 2020 – This year’s European Independent Living Day is a day like no other. With much of the world under lockdown, most of us are celebrating the day indoors, keeping safe, with only the most necessary contact with those on the outside. Many are struggling with the lack of assistance, lack of…
In this time of crisis, it is easy to be convinced by the Governments’ messaging that the most important priority is the health of wider society, the protection of health care workers and the sustainability of the economy. ENIL Youth Network see these priorities as necessary to solve this crisis but what we cannot accept…
We are only five days away from the 5th May, when we will be marking the 7th European Independent Living Day. This year’s theme is LIBERTY, which seems even more apt now that everyone’s liberty is restricted in some way due to the pandemic. Despite restrictions on movement, gatherings, protests and the social distancing rules,…
At the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the disabled people’s independent living movement in Scotland had been making progress, influencing national policy making with the Scottish Government and other strategic policy makers, in a variety of ways. Principally, among such progress, the national pan-disability organisation – Inclusion Scotland – had just started to support a…
ENIL’s 2019 Annual Report is out! This report provides an overview of our activities and achievements last year. A year that -despite the challenges- was definitely memorable, as we celebrated our 30th birthday, organised a very successful Freedom Drive, and initiated our first court case, among other things. We hope that by reading it, you…
When people ask me how I started to work with disabled people’s organisations, my usual answer is that it was an accidental choice. As a skint university student of Hungarian literature and linguistics in Budapest in 1999, I needed a job so I ended up working as a part-time personal assistant to people with severe…
My name is Nina Portolan and I am the new ESC volunteer at ENIL. I will be starting my volunteering project at the beginning of May. Because of the current situation in the world with the COVID-19 pandemic, my experience will start a bit differently than most. As I write this, I am still at…
Today, a group of seven organisations of persons with disabilities and other organisations advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities sent an urgent appeal to ensure equal access to COVID-19 medical treatment for residents of Sasca Mică Centre and other institutions for persons with disabilities and older persons in Romania. On 21 April 2020,…
Evidence is emerging that persons with disabilities are being disproportionately affected by the Coronavirus pandemic and emergency measures being taken by governments worldwide. As governments rush to respond to the virus, it is more critical than ever to guarantee that measures taken are fully inclusive of persons with disabilities and prevent human rights violations from…
The United Nations has today found Hungary responsible for “grave and systematic” violations of the human rights of persons with disabilities in the country. In a report released today, the UN found the country in flagrant breach of international law for placing people with disabilities in institutions, aided by the European Union which has provided…
On 5th May, disabled people, friends and allies across Europe will be marking the 7th European Independent Living Day. This year’s theme, proposed by the European Network on Independent Living, is LIBERTY. One of the things we asked you, is to share with us personal stories of people deprived of liberty on account of being…
Brussels, 3 April – Advice from governments, in light of COVID 19, has been for people to stay at home. For people belonging to high risk groups, including many persons with disabilities, the message to self-isolate and to stay at a distance from other people has been even clearer, or imposed by law. However, for…
On 20 March, ENIL and CHA – Coordination Handicap et Autonomie (CHA) sent an Open Letter to the President of French Republic, Emmanuel Macron. In this letter, we express our concerns over the plan to create 1,000 more places in residential institutions for disabled people in France. This plan was announced by President Macron during…
Spain is among the countries most affected by the corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic. We asked the Forum for Independent Living in Spain for their account of what is going on in their country, and how it is impacting disabled people in the community and in institutions. “From the start, with the surprise and the limited…
