The wave of inhuman and inefficient policy decisions that hit people with disabilities disproportionally in many European countries is still on a roll and is affecting or threatening our Quality of Live and our Human Rights. Naturally this can make you feel sad and victimized, … but if we don’t stand up against this, no…
Independent Living movement has inspired many people for several decades. Ideas and views who used to be controversial at first have been affirmed by good practices, disability studies and political documents (e.g. UNCRPD) time after time. This success has lead to an increasing number of cases of abuse or ‘hijacking’ of Independent Living terminology. It’s…
As you all know the financial and economical crisis is hitting people with disabilities in a disproportionately way. Through our network of independent living activists in Europe we are receiving alarming messages about austerity measures and cuts in independent living services and personal assistance. Fighting this negative tendency is one of the main focuses for…
The Study aims to provide States with detailed information on the bodies set up under Article 33 CRPD so that they can take stock of the experiences of other States. It also purports to assist international human rights mechanisms, including the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, in providing guidance on the…
Cuts to Independent Living services across Europe, slow progress towards de-institutionalisation, abuse of disabled people in institutional care, and some advancement in the right to Personal Assistance. This is a summary of 2011 by the European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) on the occasion of 3 December, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. A…
The first ever World Report on Disability, produced jointly by WHO and the World Bank, will be presented in the European Parliament, Where: Josef Antall building, room 6Q1 When: 7th December 12:30 – 15:00 The event will be hosted by Dr Adam Kosa, MEP and EDF Acting Director, Javier Güemes will be speaking. Other speakers include: László Andor, Commissioner for Employment,…
The Independent Living movement in Sweden has a long history of demonstrations. Now it’s time to take on the placards again and rescue assistance! Country after country uses the economic crisis to cut the funding of reforms of personal assistance. In Sweden the savings proposals is threatening the world’s best personal assistance legislation. Due to…
Jenny Wilder, PhD in Psychology, Senior Lecturer in Special Needs Education Mälardalen University, and her colleagues started an inquiry in 2010 that will continue for three years, called PFA-CHILD, on how children with considerable disabilities participate in different family activities. The JAG Association inSweden is collaborating withJönköpingUniversity and two other organizations in this project. …
By Josefin Sterner, intern at the JAG Association A charting of the existence of institutions and personal assistance in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Finland shows that though the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities have been signed and soon ratified by all of these countries the result vastly varies…
We have previously written about the model agency for people with disabilities that JAG started three years ago. Two of the models, Stefan Nilsson and Frida Gustavsson, is currently present in a cross-border exhibition of photographs by famous Swedish artist Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin. The aim of the exhibition is to challenge norms. The title of…
Extract from the document: “Disabled People demand Rights not Charity and we reject all cuts to our services and benefits. INDEPENDENT LIVING Disabled people must have the right to live independently in society with the necessary levels of support to take a full and inclusive part in everyday activities their non-disabled peers take for granted….
Last 18th november 2011, there was a conference under the title “Independent Living, a Life Empowerment Strategy”, it took place in the Social Education Faculty of the Valencia University. The speakers were the ENIL collaborators Katjia Villatoro, José Alfonso López and Juan Benages. The conference sparked off big interest and the audience was implicated,…
That’s my evolution in “The two Europes”: a mix of contrasts with a bittersweet taste. I’m José Alfonso. I’ve been on a wheelchair all my life and this is what I want to explain. My experience on wheels is a continuous challenge. I hate the monotony and I am so emotive, restless, that I can…
Jamie Bolling – Executive Director of ENIL visited the Secretariat in October. The main event was a conference on Independent Living and Human Rights organized by Carmen Najera– the Spanish Coordinator. Jamie spoke on the Freedom Drive and follow-up through meetings with MEPs. In the background during the day a TV team was conducting interviews…
The Swedish mission was carried out on November 7 – 8, 2011 in both Stockholm and Sundsvall. Jamie Bolling, ENIL Executive Director planned the mission for the San Sebastian Cluster of Assistive Solutions. It was one of the first activities led by the Cluster launched in January 2011 by the county council of San Sebastian…
On the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Prague conclusions, adopted at the International seminar about Independent Living, YHD would like to present to you the new book on with the title ‘Theses for the theory’ and culture of handicap written by Ph. D. Dušan Rutar. The turning point in our…
ENIL with the representation of the Executive Director Jamie Bolling was on a mission in Bulgaria, from 1st to 8th October 2011. The main purpose of the mission was to contribute to a project for active citizenship of young leaders in the IL movement in Bulgaria and to influence various actors regarding the elections to take…
My name is Aleksandra. I’m 16 years of old and I’m from Bulgaria. I live with my mother in a small town west of Sofia. I have a lot of friends and relatives, who love me. I was happy that I had the chance to participate in the Strasburg Freedom Drive 2011. What is your…
ULOBA, the Norwegian Independent Living organization made a very good movie clip. In less than half an hour it is very well explained what the Independent Living movement is all about and where it originated. It clarifies the importance of Personal Assistance and defines it. It is an introduction to the job as personal assistant…
The EASPD is the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities and represents close to 9,000 social service provider organizations across Europe and across disability. On October 3rd & 4th they organized a conference in Brussels focused on deinstitutionalization (DI) in Western Europe. The purpose was to finalise the EASPD Recommendations on DI, based…
