Sunday, 22 September 2024
Arrival of Freedom Drivers
ENIL Board meeting/ENIL Youth Network Board meeting
Monday, 23 September 2024
Freedom Drive Workshops
| 9:00 – 10:00 | Registration and welcome coffee | |
| 10:00 – 12:00 | Supported decision making – how does it work in practice | Facilitators: Kristin Torske, Uloba – Independent Living Norway Theresia Degener, Human rights lawyer and former Chair of the CRPD Committee Moderator: Adela Santos Lavigne (LITI-GATE Project Coordinator, ENIL) |
| 10:00 – 12:00 | Keep your country in check! – monitoring Article 19 compliance in international cooperation | TBC Moderator: Nadia Hadad (Co-Chair, ENIL) |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | Sandwich lunch for workshop participants | |
| 13:30 – 15:30 | Ableism – what is it and how to fight it | Facilitators: Ingrid Thunem, ENIL Board member, Norway Josefien Cornette, author and speaker, Belgium Moderator: Antonella Candiago (Policy Officer, ENIL) |
| 13:30 – 15:30 | What can the European Union do to improve independent living in my country | Facilitators: Marcus Schefer, Member of the CRPD Committee and rapporteur for the EU Lucie Davoine, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission Moderator: Florian Sanden (Policy Coordinator, ENIL) |
| 15:30 – 16:00 | Coffee break | |
| 16:00 – 18:00 | Building Centres for Independent Living – supporting disabled people’s empowerment | Facilitators: Rebecca Edwards, Disability Rights UK Diogo Martins, CIL Portugal Moderator: Kamil Goungor (Policy and Movement Support Coordinator, ENIL) |
| 16:00 – 18:00 | Ensuring respect for Independent Living as part of the EU accession | Facilitators: Suvad Zahirovic, Lotos, Bosnia and Herzegovina Martin Muehleck, DG European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, European Commission Moderator: Rita Crespo Fernandez (Human Rights Coordinator, ENIL) |
| 16:00 – 18:00 | Practising Subtle and Prominent Forms of Resistance for Social Change (a workshop aimed at young people in particular) | Facilitators: Dr. Miro Griffiths, Centre for Disability Studies, University of Leeds Dr. Hannah Morgan, Centre for Disability Studies, University of Leeds |
| All day | Art workshop – creating banners for the Freedom Drive protest | Facilitators: Ramon Moreno Casas, artist Clementine Doevendans, Co-Chair of the ENIL Youth Network (TBC) |
| Evening | Youth Cafe | An informal get together, open to all young Freedom Drivers. The Cafe will be run by the ENIL Youth Network Board. |
Tuesday, 24 September 2024
Protest in front of the European Commission and the European Parliament (10:00 – 13:00)
Hearing in the European Parliament: What do we want to see on the European Disability Rights Agenda in the next 5 years?
Hosted by MEP Katrin LANGENSIEPEN (Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance)
European Parliament, Brussels, Room 7C50
| 15:00 | Welcome and introduction ENIL’s Freedom Drive Demands | Katrin Langensiepen MEP Jamie Bolling, ENIL Co-Chair Florian Sanden, Policy Coordinator, ENIL Moderator: Elena Kochoska, ENIL Board member |
| 15:00 – 16:00 | Legislation to protect Independent Living in the European Union | Marcus Scheffer, Member of the CRPD Committee and Rapporteur for the European Union Oliver Scicluna, CEP, Agenzija Sapport, Malta Dr. Teodor Mladenov, University of Dundee and Independent Living Research Network Representative of the European Commission (TBC) Intervention by MEPs (TBC) |
| 16:00 – 17:00 | Promoting Independent Living through global action | Elena Kountouri Tapiero, Regional Representative, UN OHCHR Regional Office for Europe (TBC) Gordon Rattray, Programme Coordinator, European Disability Forum Yulia Sachuk, Fight for Right, Ukraine Representative of the European Commission (TBC) Intervention by MEPs (TBC) |
Celebration of ENIL’s 35th Anniversary
Residence Palace, Brussels
| 17:30 | Doors open |
| 18:00 – 19:00 | Welcome drinks and finger food |
| 18:00 – 19:00 | Welcome words by ENIL Co-Chairs Tribute to Adolf Ratzka Minute of silence for lost Independent Living leaders Key moments in ENIL’s 35 year history, presented by ENIL and ENIL Youth A call in from John Evans OBE, one of the co-founders of ENIL Reflections from key supporters Future of ENIL, presented by the Director and ENIL Youth |
| 19:00 – 21:00 | Walking dinner, followed by open bar, music and dancing |
Wednesday, 25 September 2024
Conference: Rebuilding the Independent Living Pillars
| 9:00 – 10:00 | Welcome coffee | |
| 10:00 – 10:30 | Introductory remarks Moderator: Jamie Bolling | Jamie Bolling, ENIL Co-Chair Heba Hagrass, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (pre-recorded video message) Helena Dalli, Commissioner for Equality, European Union |
| 10:30 – 12:00 | Deinstitutionalisation: Fighting against golden cages | Theresia Degener, Human rights lawyer and former Chair of the CRPD Committee Simone Aspis, Free Our People Now Campaign Steven Allen, Validity Foundation Sanni Purhonen, The Threshold, Finland Nic Crosby, National Development Team for Inclusion |
| 12:00 – 13:30 | Lunch | |
| 13:30 – 15:00 | Personal Assistance: New strategies to ensure access for all Moderator: Kamil Goungor | Antonia Trikalioti, I-living Greece Martine Eliasson, the Nordic Centre of Excellence on Personal Assistance/Uloba – Independent Living Norway Klaudija Poropat, YHD, Slovenia Stefan Tromel, International Labour Organisation (via video) Speaker TBC, GRIP, Belgium |
| 15:00 – 15:30 | Coffee break | |
| 15:30 – 16:30 | All In: Strengthening Europe’s Independent Living movement Moderator: Nadia Hadad | Jorge Manhique, Disability Rights Fund/Disability Rights Advocacy Fund (via video, TBC) Melike Bal, ENIL Youth Network, Turkey (via video, TBC) Viera Hincova, European Council of Autistic People Nic Morgan, Euro Youth Mental Health |
| 16:30 – 17:00 | Independent Living Pillars: From Washington DC to Brussels | Nadia Hadad, ENIL Co-Chair Dr. Teodor Mladenov, Coordinator of the Independent Living Research Network and University of Dundee |
Please note that this programme is subject to changes.
