There is an emerging awareness on the intersectionality between disability and age. With age, the likelihood of a person acquiring a disability increases. Yet, disability support services, such as personal assistance, are usually not available for persons above the age of 65. Older persons with disabilities are largely excluded from the debates on independent living and deinstitutionalisation.
The EU policy agenda on disability does not yet cover this important topic. Rather, support services for older persons are considered as part of long-term care, most recently within the EU Care Strategy. This leads to older persons with disabilities being denied protection under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and gaps in the support and services for independent living.
The aim of this webinar, organised by the European Network on Independent Living, is to raise awareness on the topic of the intersectionality of disability and age. It also seeks to promote its inclusion in the upcoming flagship initiatives by the European Commission – namely, the upcoming guidance on independent living and inclusion in the community, and the framework for social services of excellence for persons with disabilities.
The webinar will take place online, on 15 December, from 14.00-16.00.
Invited speakers:
- Adolf Ratzka, the founder of Independent Living Institute and one of the foremost experts on Personal Assistance in Europe
- José Gusmao, Member of the European Parliament and member of the Intergroup on Disability
- Philippe Seidel, Policy Officer at Age Platform, one of the key partner organisations on the rights of older persons (to be confirmed)
- Representative of the European Commission’s Disability Unit at DG Employment (to be confirmed)
- Florian Sanden, Policy Coordinator, and Ines Bulic Cojocariu, Director, European Network on Independent Living
Register here to join the webinar.