This year’s European Independent Living Day, on the 5th May, was once again widely celebrated all over Europe by members of the European Network on Independent Living, disabled people and allies, reminding everyone, especially governments, that Independent Living is a right for everyone!
The Independent Living movement was once again loud and proud, demonstrating in various ways the importance of Independent Living across the continent. This was the 10th anniversary of the Independent Living Day, established by the ENIL Board in 2014, in order to celebrate the importance of our right to live independently, set out in Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Various activities were organised by DPOs or individuals in at least 20 countries – Albania, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkiye. These ranged from street protests across Portugal to book reading with children in San Marino, to statements and activities held online.
The hashtag #ILDay24 was used widely, and we could jointly celebrate the day, no matter the distance. The main theme were the elections, the importance of the right to vote for all disabled people and the need to put Independent Living on the agenda.
At ENIL, we took to the streets! On the 30th April, we joined the Right to Support Action Group in a protest in front of the Parliament of Flanders, a region in Belgium. The Right to Support Action Group is a movement of disabled people, demanding better access to personal budgets for disabled people, which allow us to hire personal assistants and access other support services. On the 4th of May, ENIL set up a stand during the European Union Open Day, to raise awareness among the public about Independent Living.
The ENIL Youth Network successfully hosted its online Youth Café on the 11th May, dedicated to deinstitutionalisation and the importance of living in the community.
Our Policy Coordinator Florian Sanden joined other organisations, including EUCAP, ENUSP and Inclusion Europe, in writing about Independent Living, in a special Independent Living Day newsletter published by the European Disability Forum. We also published a press release.
Statements on the occasion of the Independent Living Day came from Helena Dalli, the Commissioner for Equality, the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), MEP Stelios Kympouropoulos and many others.
ENIL promoted the Independent Living Day on social media, sharing members’ activities and reaching thousands of people. We are thankful to everyone who shared what they were doing and used the hashtag. In case you are aware of an activity on the day and would like to share it with us, do not hesitate to let us know.
