My name is Laura Alčiauskaitė and I work as a TRIPS Project coordinator at ENIL. This October, 2021 I was planning to go to the HUMANIST conference where I was supposed to deliver a presentation about our project. As I’m based in Lithuania, I booked the flights from Kaunas to Rhodes Island and a return…
On the 24th November, ENIL held a webinar on accessible housing, an issue of major importance for us. It took place on Zoom and was recorded through ENIL’s YouTube channel. The event was introduced by ENIL’s Deputy Director Ines Bulic Cojocariu, and our first speaker was Thiandi Groof, a self-advocate from the Netherlands, who spoke…
I had the privilege of attending the European Law Academy (ERA) Annual conference on the rights of persons with disabilities from 17th – 19th November 2021. The main topic was the right to independent living, with presentations on disability human rights law, relating to a few different areas such as deinstitutionalisation (DI) and the right…
I am Melike, a new volunteer at ENIL. I was born and raised in Beşiktaş, Istanbul and moved to Brussels as of September 2021. I completed my undergraduate and graduate education at Istanbul Bilgi University Sociology and Cultural Studies programs. I took part in various projects and researches for 10 years in the Center for…
In 1991, five disabled Norwegians, three woman and two men, gained freedom and independency in their lives. How did they utilize this freedom? To ensure thousands of others the same possibilities through importing and developing citizen-led personal assistance in Norway. It is this entrepreneurial effort through three decades that we are now celebrating! On October…
Between the 21st and 23rd of September, ENIL held online the Freedom Surf conference, which replaced our usual flagship event of the Freedom Drive, that was postponed due to COVID-19 and the restrictions surrounding the pandemic. We had numerous events each day, such as meeting with ENIL and ENIL Youth Network boards, workshops, and interesting…
I had the privilege of representing ENIL in Genoa (Genova), Italy recently. To be more specific, the small town of Santa Margherita. A picturesque town that really showcased the beauty and wealth of the Northern part of Italy. We were hosted by the Italian organisation AFIDO. I went with a group of other disabled people…
The European Network on Independent Living – ENIL learned, with deep sorrow, that our former President and Board member Kapka Panayotova, passed away suddenly on Thursday, 14 October 2021, at the age of 65. Kapka served as a Board member at ENIL for several terms and was the President until standing down during the General…
France was reviewed by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Committee) in August 2021. Meetings with the French DPOs took place at the beginning of August. Our French members, Coordination Handicap et Autonomie – Vie Autonome France, submitted a written contribution prior to the review. In its Concluding Observations (COs), the…
The Freedom Drive began in Strasbourg in 2003, at the initiative of late Martin Naughton, the Irish Independent Living pioneer. Every two years, it brought together Independent Living activists and allies from across Europe, first in Strasbourg, then in Brussels. In 2019, when the last Freedom Drive took place, over 200 people came together for…
The year 2021 is named as the EU Year of Rail, and this shows the importance of rail for the European Union and its future. Train is one of the most sustainable modes of transport, responsible for only 0.4% of transport emissions in the EU (being in the epicenter of the EU Climate Pact and…
Hello everyone, my name is Michael Goossens and I am the new Human Rights Officer at ENIL. I am happy to be part of the team, which has welcomed me and is helping me to integrate well and have the best tools to work and advance the fight for Independent living across Europe and beyond….
On 21 – 23 September, the European Network on Independent Living will hold its first Freedom Surf. This three-day online event will be held instead of the Freedom Drive, which was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic for 2022. The Freedom Surf will consist of a series of events, some of which are being organised…
ENIL recently started a new project called “Entrepreneurship for All”, funded by the European Union under Erasmus+. “Entrepreneurship for All” will be implemented until the end of 2022, and we are working together with organisations from Turkey and Bulgaria. The project will promote inclusive entrepreneurship, as well as inclusive learning and training methodologies on entrepreneurship…
The 12th of August is celebrated as the International Youth Day and below you can read the messages* of some of the board members of the ENIL Youth Network: Nora Eklöv: “Today it’s the International Youth Day! Children and youth are the future. I want to highlight some challenges that children and young persons with…
Earlier this month, we started a new project – “Entrepreneurship for All” – funded by the European Union under Erasmus+. Entrepreneurship is defined as “the activity of setting up a business or businesses, taking on financial risks in the hope of profit”. “Entrepreneurship for All” will be implemented until the end of 2022, and we…
Are you a web development agency with experience in designing beautiful and accessible WordPress websites? Are you based in Europe? Have you worked with advocacy NGOS before? If so, the European Network on Independent Living would love to hear from you. We are redeveloping our website in the second half of 2021 and invite you…
For disabled migrants and those living between cultures, too often our stories and rights are invisible in immigration conversations, and invisible in disability conversations. Moving and living between places and cultures can be exhilarating and overwhelming, fruitful and stressful. When we add disability to the mix, it’s even more complex. My name is Áine Kelly-Costello….
Celebration of the European Independent Living Day was organized through a set of different activities which started before this day and lasted during May. Topic of this year celebration was Mobility, which includes right to personal mobility (freedom of movement) of persons with disabilities, therefore it was set as a key topic of organized activities….
The European Network on Independent Living – ENIL is looking for a 3 months European Solidarity Corps volunteer, from 1 October 2021 to 31 December 2021. As a European Solidarity Corps (ESC) volunteer, you will work in the ENIL Brussels office and gain experience in advocating for changes in European laws and policies, as part…
