On 1 April 2021, ENIL and the Association of Women with Disabilities (ENG-KAD) started a 15-month project on personal assistance in Turkey. The project aims to promote the development of personal assistance in Turkey by ensuring that people with disabilities are better informed and better able to advocate for personal assistance.
Following the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2009, Turkey made important steps to align its legislation with the requirements of the Convention. However, disabled people still do not have access to personal assistance. The project aims to raise awareness of disabled people, professionals, policy and decision makers about personal assistance, and to support disabled people’s advocacy for personal assistance and independent living.
In view of these objectives, a number of different activities are implemented, including:
Online peer support forum: allowing people to people interact, exchange ideas, share experiences, raise concerns, and find answers.
Research: mapping of the existing laws, policies and practices in Turkey, in order to gain better understanding of personal assistance.
Webinars and round-table discussions: with domestic and international speakers, targeting disabled people and their families, service providers, journalists and the authorities.
Promotional materials, including videos on personal assistance.
Model personal assistance policy: drafted with the involvement of disabled people and in consultation with domestic policy-makers.
The project builds on ENIL’s previous work to promote independent living in Turkey within the Independent Living Network Project (ILNET). It is funded by the European Union.
To learn more about the project, in English and Turkish, watch this short video.
Contact person: Lilia Angelova-Mladenova, lili.angelova@enil.eu
