The Independent Living Map provides general information about access to independent living of disabled people in 43 countries across Europe and detailed information about Personal Assistance schemes or systems.
The information was collected by the European Network on Independent Living – ENIL through its Independent Living Survey. The Survey follows Personal Assistance tables, published by ENIL in 2013 and 2015, and draws heavily on the PA Checklist – A Tool for Assessing Personal Assistance Schemes, published in 2019. It also includes additional questions relating to implementation of Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). It consists of two sections: a general section on Independent Living, and detailed information about the PA scheme/policy.
The Independent Living Survey is organised as follows: 1. General section on Independent Living; 2. General information about the Personal Assistance scheme/policy: Funding; Eligibility and needs assessment; Provision; Recruitment and working conditions of Personal Assistants..
The Independent Living Survey was first launched in June 2020, when a total of 143 responses were received (116 in English, 7 in French and 20 in German). The information was collected by ENIL through a targeted consultation, involving 2 – 3 organisations and/or experts per country. The majority of responses came from disabled people (including personal assistance users) and organisations of disabled people (DPOs). In the end, responses from 43 countries were included in the analysis. A response from the Russian Federation could not be verified, therefore it was not included in the analysis. No responses have been received for Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco and Switzerland.
Summary report on access to Independent Living and personal assistance schemes or systems
The responses to the first part of the Independent Living Survey, on general access to independent living, were analysed in a Summary report at the end of 2020. The responses to the second part of the Independent Living Survey, on personal assistance schemes or systems, has been analysed in a second Summary report by the end of 2022. The complete summary report is available here – [in Word] and [PDF Version]
Country sheets
Country sheets include a narrative summary of responses to the Independent Living Survey. All country sheets contain information about access of disabled people to independent living, while a detailed description of the personal assistance scheme/policy is available for 46 countries. Countries for which there is no description of the PA scheme/policy (Section II of the survey) are marked with an asterix.
The Independent Living Map will be updated by ENIL on a yearly basis, to ensure that the information provided is up to date. Please report any corrections to Florian Sanden, florian.sanden@enil.eu.
