In France, the 2005 law gave us, among other things, the right to publicly-funded Personal Assistance. After filing a request to the local agency responsible for disabled people, we are allocated a number of personal assistance hours per day. The local agency only gives us funding based on an hourly rate, and we are responsible for…
What is personal assistance and how to make it a reality in Turkey? These were some of the key questions addressed during the two-day roundtable for disabled people and supporters, which took place in Ankara at the end of February 2022. The event was part of the PAKT project, implemented in partnership between ENIL and…
I have been disabled for almost 20 years. When my health deteriorated to the point that I needed support for my basic needs, I started independent living activism. At that time, I found out there was no proper service for me. It was quite a shocking revelation, especially since I used to work in the…
Personal assistance is one of the key tools of the independent living movement. Yet, personal assistance is still not widespread in many countries and there is a general lack of knowledge on the job, which is often mixed up with care professions. As a consequence, many people struggle with the nature of the relationship between…
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…
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…
On 16- 17 September, the Committee on the Rights of the Child is holding a Day of General Discussion (DGD) on “Children’s Rights in Alternative Care”. The purpose of the DGD is to look at the situation of children in alternative care, to discuss areas of concern, to review implementation of relevant international standards, including…
There has been little acknowledgement of disabled people’s rights, requirements, and policy needs during the campaigns, negotiations, and agreements that surround the UK’s exit from the EU. The referendum, the transition period, and the subsequent trade deals have not addressed the widespread concerns raised by disabled activists, their organisations, and scholars committed to improving disabled…
At the European Network on Independent Living – ENIL, we take the opportunity at the end of each year to take stock of our achievements, difficulties and whatever else that made the year gone by stand out. The past year, as nobody needs reminding, has been very different, and among those who were lucky to…
On 10 December, the Human Rights Day, the European Network on Independent Living – ENIL published the first results of the Independent Living Survey. The aim of the online survey was to collect general information about access to Independent Living of disabled people across Europe, and detailed information about Personal Assistance schemes or systems. The survey,…
My academic career began in 2010 when I completed a BSc Psychology at Ulster University. My original intention was to train as a Clinical Psychologist, however my undergraduate degree introduced me to the realm of research. I quickly became fascinated with qualitative research methodologies particularly the ways in which we interpret the world around us…
The Threshold Association (or Kynnys ry in Finnish) is a cross-disability organization, which focuses on the basic and human rights of persons with disabilities. It was founded in Helsinki by Kalle Könkkölä and other students with disabilities in 1973. Nowadays the Threshold has offices in Helsinki, Kuopio, Oulu Tampere and Turku. In addition to this,…
On 14 September we organised an online members’ meeting. Adolf Ratzka, a pioneer of the Independent Living Movement in Europe, gave a great speech on how to effectively advocate for PA legislation. It is already mentioned in the respective article, but we decided to publish it also separately because of the high interest of people….
Following on from a successful regional members’ meeting in Poland in 2019, ENIL hosted an online members’ meeting on Monday 14 September, with an accompanying webinar on “Independent Living for All” on Tuesday 15 September. The two-day event was well-attended, and questions and debates were lively. Personal Assistance was in the focus of the discussions,…
My name is Ciara Brennan. I am from Dublin, Ireland. For more than a decade, I have worked as a disability researcher in Ireland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Currently, I am a research and advocacy consultant for the COVID-19 Disability Rights Monitor (DRM). DRM is collecting data from around the world in order to measure…
On 18 June, the European Parliament adopted a progressive Resolution for a new European Disability Strategy post 2020 (further referred to as ‘the Resolution’). ENIL is pleased to see strong emphasis on Independent Living throughout the document. This is particularly visible in three points: deinstitutionalisation with access to services, personal assistance and freedom of movement….
The European Network on Independent Living is launching its first Independent Living Survey, with the aim of getting a better picture of access to Independent Living in Europe. Responses will be analysed and published in December 2020. The Independent Living Survey should be completed by disabled people, DPOs or NGOs familiar with access to Independent…
My experience of disability was shaped, initially, by my personal experience of impairment. Before the introduction to disability politics, my overall perspective was one rooted in the individual model of disability, wrapped in a tragedy narrative. I was ashamed of identifying as a disabled person, professionals and practitioners encouraged me to be passive and dependent,…
My name is Elvira Popa and I have been a wheelchair user for many years, living in Râmnicu-Vâlcea, Romania. Life has been very harsh most of the time and here I am telling one of those episodes when I was kicked down to the ground and left alone to find my way back. 1.The assault The…
This overview provides information about the living situation of disabled people in the European Union during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is based on the data collected by the European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) and the European Disability Forum (EDF), until 15 May 2020. The personal experiences that are part of this overview have been…
