Below, only ILRN members consenting to be publicly recognised are listed. For more information about the ILRN, please visit https://enil.eu/project/independent-living-research-network/ or get in touch with Teodor Mladenov, ILRN Coordinator, at tmladenov001@dundee.ac.uk.
Alčiauskaitė, Laura (Lithuania, ENIL; ENIL Youth Network; Vytautas Magnus University, laura.alciauskaite@gmail.com)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Accessibility, co-design, accessible travelling and transport, psychological adjustment to disability, resilience, quality of life of persons with disabilities
Recent IL-related publications:
- Hatzakis, T., Alčiauskaitė, L., & König, A. (2024). The Needs and Requirements of People with Disabilities for Frequent Movement in Cities: Insights from Qualitative and Quantitative Data of the TRIPS Project. Urban Science, 8(1), 12, https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci8010012
- Alčiauskaitė, L., Hatzakis, T., & König, A. (2023). Views of persons with disabilities on digital assistive technologies would they help them to become more independent?, in Conference Proceedings: Transition towards Independent Living within the Community for Persons with Disabilities (pp. 15-30). United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), https://www.unescwa.org/sites/default/files/pubs/pdf/transition-independent-living-community-persons-disabilities-english_1.pdf
Alexa, Radu (Romania, Asociația Help and Advice, asociatia@helpandadvice.ro)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Angelova-Mladenova, Lilia (UK/Bulgaria, ENIL/independent researcher, lili.angelova@gmail.com)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- Deinstitutionalisation
- Personal assistance and direct payments
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Recent IL-related publications:
- The Right to Live Independently and be Included in the Community: Addressing Barriers to Independent Living Across the Globe. Published by ENIL: http://enil.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/The-right-to-live-independently_FINAL.pdf
Aydin, Resa (Turkey, Istanbul University Disability Applied Research Center, resaaydin@gmail.com)
IL expertise:
- Paediatric rehabilitation
- Disability studies
- Inter- and transdisciplinary research about disability
- Support and accommodation of university students with disability
Bolling, Jamie (Sweden, Independent Living Institute, jamie.bolling@independentliving.org)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- Deinstitutionalisation
- Personal assistance and direct payments
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Recent IL-related publications:
- Lill Hultman, Eric Asaba, Dorothee Riedel, Sara Abdu, Helen Afe, Rahel Atafnu, Lili Ejigu, Jamie Bolling, Mahelet Negussie, Julius Ntobua & Margarita Mondaca (2023) ‘Migration and disability narratives from an intersectional perspective: a photovoice study’, Disability and Society, https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2023.2271157
- Jamie Bolling (2023) ‘The Right to Self-Determination and Participation for Refugee Children with Disabilities’, in Rigmor Argren and Jessica Jonsson (eds) Child Rights in Humanitarian Crisis. London: Routledge.
Brennan, Ciara (Ireland, independent researcher, ciarasbrennan@gmail.com)
IL expertise:
- Deinstitutionalisation
- Personal assistance and direct payments
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Recent IL-related publications:
Burns, Nicola (Scotland, University of Glasgow, nicola.burns@glasgow.ac.uk)
IL expertise:
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Elder-Woodward, James Ian (Scotland, Scottish independent Living Coalition, jim.elderwoodward@gmail.com)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- Deinstitutionalisation
- Personal assistance and direct payments
- Austerity
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Neoliberal management of social services
Recent IL-related publications:
- Elder-Woodward, J., “Disability and social work”, in Viviene E Cree and Mark Smith (eds.) Social Work in a Changing Scotland (2018) ISBN; 978-1-138-29502-5 (hbk)
- Elder-Woodward, J., “Disabled people’s Independent Living Movement in Scotland: a time for reflection”, Ethics and Social Welfare, 2016, vol. 10, Issue 3, pp. 252-266 DOI: 10.1080/17496535.2016.1193760
Fernández, Andrea García-Santesmases (Spain, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia / UNED, andrea.gsantesmases@der.uned.es)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- Personal assistance and direct payments
- Gender and sexuality
Fernández, Andrés (Colombia, Fundación Grandes Transformaciones, andresfmf@yahoo.com)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- Personal assistance and direct payments
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Flanagan, Ann Marie (Ireland, Clare Leader Forum, clareleaderforum@gmail.com)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- Deinstitutionalisation
- Personal assistance and direct payments
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Grabher, Heinz (Austria, Persönliche Assistenz Vorarlberg, heinz.grabher@pa-vorarlberg.at)
IL expertise:
- Personal assistance and direct payments
Grdan, Kristijan (Germany, independent researcher, grdjan.kristijan@gmail.com)
IL expertise:
- Deinstitutionalisation
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Mental health laws
Griffiths, Miro (England, University of Leeds, m.griffiths1@leeds.ac.uk)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- Personal assistance and direct payments
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Recent IL-related publications:
- Griffiths M. 2024. The Trouble with ‘Normal’: Finding Hope Through Resistance. In: Beckett A; Callus A-M (eds.) The Lives of Children and Adolescents with Disabilities.
- Griffiths M. 2023. Declare Independence: Independent Living, Oppositional Devices, and Heterotopias. International Journal of Disability and Social Justice. 24-41 3.1.
Grotta, Alessandra (Italy/Sweden, Stockholm University, alessandra.grotta@su.se)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
Kayanga, Peter (Uganda, Disability Peoples Forum Uganda, kayangap24@gmail.com)
IL expertise:
UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Kelly-Costello, Aine (New Zealand, University of Otago, ainekc@gmail.com)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Keravica, Rados (Serbia/UK, University of Leeds, radoskeravica@gmail.com)
IL expertise:
- Deinstitutionalisation
- Children’s rights
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
- Disabled children’s and young people’s participation in decision-making processes
- Legal capacity and supported decision-making
- Human rights monitoring
- Disability movements
Recent IL-related publications:
- Keravica, R. 2023. Pathologisation of disabled childhood as an impediment to independent living In: Conference proceedings: Transition towards independent living within the community for persons with disabilities. Beirut, Lebanon: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), pp.48–67. Available at: unescwa.org/sites/default/files/pubs/pdf/transition-independent-living-community-persons-disabilities-english_1.pdf
- Keravica, Radoš 2023b. Disabled Children’s Participation in Healthcare Decision-Making In: A. E. Beckett and A.-M. Callus, eds. Routledge International Handbook on Children’s Rights and Disability. Routledge. Available at: https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/62351
Kocejko, Magdalena (Poland, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, magdalena.kocejko@sgh.waw.pl)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Disability advocacy; violence against women with disabilities; reproductive rights
Recent IL-related publications:
Kocejko, M., & Kubicki, P. (2024). Intersectionality and public policy process. The cost of being “in-between” for women and older people with disabilities. Polityka Spoleczna 1 (26)/2024. (in Polish) DOI:10.5604/01.3001.0054.7022
Głąb, Z., & Kocejko, M. (2024). Between safety and isolation: the governmental-ministerial approach to care homes in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic. Disability & society, 39(6), 1524-1545.
Lutz, Deborah (Germany, Catholic University of Applies Sciences Freiburg, Deborah.Lutz@kh-freiburg.de)
IL expertise:
• Personal assistance and direct payments
Recent IL-related publications:
• Lutz, D. (2025). Navigating parental involvement in self-managed personal assistance: Supporting the self-determination of people with intellectual disabilities. 17th NNDR Conference in Helsinki, Finland.
• Lutz, D.L. & Fisher, K.R. (2023). Personalising Support through Communication between People with Intellectual Disabilities and their Support Workers. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research. 295–308. DOI: https://doi.org/10.16993/sjdr.980
Meakin, Becki (UK, Shaping Our Lives, becki@shapingourlives.org.uk)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Experiences of service users from marginalised communities
Recent IL-related publications:
- Behind Closed Doors: https://www.shapingourlives.org.uk/resources/our-resources/research-reports/behind-closed-doors-report-from-our-impacts-of-covid-19-project
- Locked In or Locked Out?: https://www.shapingourlives.org.uk/resources/our-resources/research-reports/locked-in-or-locked-out-report-from-our-covid-19-remote-technology-research-project
Mladenov, Teodor (Scotland/Bulgaria, University of Dundee, tmladenov001@dundee.ac.uk)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- Deinstitutionalisation
- Personal assistance and direct payments
- Austerity
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- IL in the postsocialist region
Recent IL-related publications:
- Mladenov, T. and Brennan, C. (2021) ‘The global COVID-19 Disability Rights Monitor: implementation, findings, disability studies response’, Disability & Society, Vol. 36, No. 8, pp. 1356-1361. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2021.1920371
- Mladenov, T. (2019) ‘What is good personal assistance made of? Results of a European survey’, Disability & Society, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 1-24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2019.1621740
Močilar, Barbara (Slovenia, YHD, barbara@yhd-drustvo.si)
IL expertise:
- Deinstitutionalisation
- Personal assistance and direct payments
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Nally, Deirdre (Ireland, University of Limerick, deirdre.nally@ul.ie)
IL expertise:
- Personal assistance and direct payments
Recent IL-related publications:
- Nally, Deirdre, Sean S. Moore, and Rosemary Joan Gowran. “How governments manage personal assistance schemes in response to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: A Scoping Review.” Disability & Society (2021): 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2021.1877114
Nikolin, Sanja (Serbia, Public and Private, publicandprivate.nikolin@gmail.com)
IL expertise:
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
O’Neill, Emma (Northern Ireland, Disability Action Northern Ireland, EmmaONeill@disabilityaction.org)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- Personal assistance and direct payments
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Recent IL-related publications:
- O’Neill, E. & Fitzpatrick, F. (2020). Independent Living Fund Northern Ireland Impact Evaluation. Centre for Independent Living NI, Gauge Impact NI & Independent Living Fund Scotland. https://ilf.scot/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/44188-ILF-NI-Impact-Evaluation-Report.pdf
- Fitzsimons, S., Crawford, A. and O’Neill, E. (2020). The impact of Covid-19 for disabled people in Northern Ireland. Disability Action NI. https://www.disabilityaction.org/news/report-now-available-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-disabled-people-in-ni
*Panayotova, Kapka (Bulgaria, Centre for Independent Living – Sofia)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- Deinstitutionalisation
- Personal assistance and direct payments
* Sadly, Kapka passed away in October 2021. Her work has been commemorated in the December 2021 edition of the Disability Rights Defenders Newsletter: https://www.independentliving.org/drd/newsletter-2021-12.html
Parker, Camilla (UK, Just Equality, Camilla@justequality.co.uk)
IL expertise:
- Deinstitutionalisation
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Law relating to mental health care (children, young people and adults)
- Human rights and mental health care
Pérez, Sergio González (Spain, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, sergiogperez89@gmail.com)
IL expertise:
- Personal assistance and direct payments
Petri, Gabor (Hungary, National Federation of Organisations of Persons with a Physical Disability (MEOSZ), petri.gabor@gmail.com)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- Deinstitutionalisation
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Disability advocacy
- Mental health services
Recent IL-related publications:
- Petri, G., & Hruskó, E. (2024). Can Disability Rights Flourish in Backsliding Democracies? – The Case of Hungary. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 26(1), 349–365. https://doi.org/10.16993/sjdr.1053
- Leyla, S. Z., Gabriela, T., & Gabor, P. (2024). Between a Shrinking and a Shifting Space: The Symbolic Inclusion of the Disability Movement in Policy‐Making in Romania. Revista de Asistenţă Socială/Social Work Review, 1, 153-165.
Riobóo-Lois, Breogán (Spain, Galicia Sur Health Research Institute, University of Vigo, arioboo@uvigo.gal)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- Personal assistance and direct payments
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Inclusive education
Recent IL-related publications:
Riobóo-Lois, B., Fernández-Martínez, P. (2024). Discapacidad y educación inclusiva: el potencial de la asistencia personal infantil. In N. Berasategi, I. Legorburu, I. Alonso, and A. Gana (Coords.), Prácticas inclusivas, experiencias y políticas desde la infancia (pp. 195-206). Octaedro. https://acortar.link/NnGxMx
Riobóo-Lois, B., Frieiro, P., González-Rodríguez, R., and Verde-Diego, C. (2024). Personal assistance, independent living, and people with disabilities: An international systematic review (2013-2023). Disability and Health Journal. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2024.101630
Rothenberg, Birgit (Germany, MOBILE-Selbstbestimmtes Leben Behinderter e.V., birgit.rothenberg@tu-dortmund.de)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- Deinstitutionalisation
- Personal assistance and direct payments
- History of independent living movement
Recent IL-related publications:
- Rothenberg, B. (2012): Das Selbstbestimmt Leben-Prinzip und seine Bedeutung für das Hochschulstudium. Bad Heilbronn.
- Rothenberg, B. & Köbsell, S. (2011): Die emanzipatorische Behindertenbewegung. In: Bois, M. & Hüttner, B. [Hrsg]: Beiträge zur Geschichte einer pluralen Linken – Heft 3. Bewegungen, Parteien, Ideen. Berlin, S. 24-28.
Ruzicic-Novkovic, Milica Mima (Serbia, Centre Living Upright, mimaczu@gmail.com)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Egality in public speech with focus on media portray of disabled persons
Recent IL-related publications:
- https://www.czuns.org/gordana-rajkov-vying-for-a-choice-life-story/
- https://www.czuns.org/predstavljamo-analizu-zakonodavnog-i-institucionalnog-okvira-republike-srbije-u-oblasti-obrazovanja-s-konvencijom-un-o-pravima-osoba-sa-invaliditetom/
Sperrin, Aine (Ireland, Centre for Disability Law and Policy, NUI Galway, aine.sperrin@nuigalway.ie)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- Deinstitutionalisation
- Personal assistance and direct payments
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Stefanovic, Lazar (Serbia/Austria, Vienna Forum for Democracy and Human Rights, lazar.stefanovic@humanrights.at)
IL expertise:
- Deinstitutionalisation
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Children’s rights
- Social policy
Recent IL-related publications:
- Lazar Stefanovic. “The commitment of the European Union to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the right to live independently and be included in the community”. UN ESCWA. 2023.
- Lazar Stefanovic. “Unlocking Workplace Inclusivity: Exploring the Legal Imperative of Reasonable Accommodation for Persons with Disabilities in Serbia”. Yearbook Human Rights Protection. Institute of Criminological and Sociological Research Belgrade. 2023.
Šumskienė, Eglė (Lithuania, Vilnius University, egle.sumskiene@fsf.vu.lt)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- Deinstitutionalisation
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Recent IL-related publications:
- Mataitytė-Diržienė, Jurga; Genienė, Rasa; Gevorgianienė, Violeta; Šumskienė, Eglė (2023) ‘Neighbourhood opposition to relocation of people with disabilities in Lithuania: ‘fake ethics’ in the community discourse’, Special issue: Ethics in Community Development, Community Development Journal, Vol. 58, No. 1, pp. 136-153. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsac038
- Šumskienė, Eglė, Gevorgianiene, Violeta, Mataityte-Dirziene, Jurga and Geniene, Rasa (2023) ‘People and places: the potential of city events to facilitate the inclusion of people with disabilities in the community life’, Journal of Public Mental Health, Vol. 22 No. 3, pp. 146-153. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMH-09-2022-0094
Todd, Zara (UK, independent researcher, zara.todd@gmail.com)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Disabled children’s rights
- Participation and decision making
Villatoro-Bongiorno, Katja (España, Foro de Vida Independiente, katvibon@gmail.com)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- Personal assistance and direct payments
- Nuevo paradigma: Diversidad Funcional, Empoderamiento
Woodin, Sarah (UK, University of Leeds / independent researcher, sarahwoodin23@gmail.com)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- Deinstitutionalisation
- Personal assistance and direct payments
- Austerity
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- New technologies
Recent IL-related publications:
- Woodin, S. (2019) Article 33: National Implementation and Monitoring. Monitoring of the Rights of Blind and Partially-Sighted People in Europe: An Analysis of the European Blind Union CRPD Database. Paris: European Blind Union http://www.euroblind.org/sites/default/files/documents/article_33_2019_report2.pdf
- Woodin, S. (2017) Research with Disabled People: A Health Action Research Project with People with Learning Difficulties. Sage Research Methods Case Studies. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781526421050
Yi Huang (China, Shenzhen Autism Society, h.yiwendy@foxmail.com)
IL expertise:
- Deinstitutionalisation
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Community-based services for people with developmental disabilities
Zaviršek, Darja (Slovenija, University of Ljubljana, darja.zavirsek@fsd.uni-lj.si)
IL expertise:
- IL movement and philosophy
- Deinstitutionalisation
- Personal assistance and direct payments
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Women with disabilities, violence against women with disabilities
Recent IL-related publications:
- Zaviršek, Darja (2020), Mothering as a Human Rights Issue of Women with Disabilities in Current Post-Socialist Social Context. In: Anna Siri, Cinzia Leone, Rita Bencivenga, Darja Zaviršek, Sonja Bezjak: Women, Disability and Culture. NOVA, Medicine & Health, New York, pp. 245-278.
- Zaviršek, Darja (2017), Delayed deinstitutionalisation in post-socialism. European Journal of Social Work, Vol 20: 6; Pages 834-845. Published online: 17 Jul 2017. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2017.1344623
