CRPD review of the EU; Self-advocates’ expectations on independent living – #IncludeNews April 2022

#IncludeNews brings you updates about work done for inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in Europe. This post is updated with new information during the month.

• Previous #IncludeNews March 2022.
• News about people with intellectual disabilities in Ukraine.

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EDF adopted a position paper on disability rights in civil judicial cooperation – 27 April

The European Disability Forum paper gives an overview of the differences in legal capacity across the EU.

• The paper shows how in cross-border cases the rights of persons with disabilities may be violated.
• It also provides recommendations to the European Union on the issue of cross-border legal protection.

EDF recommends:

• The EU should not promote the ratification of the 2000 Hague Convention which is out-dated and not compliant with CRPD.
• The EU should develop measures to abolish substitute decision-making in all EU Member States.

 

New report on deinstitutionalisation by the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. In .pdf here.

 

 

Croation association elects new leadership – 26 April

The Croatian Association of Societies of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities elected a new president and board at their meeting on 23 April.

• Ozren Catela was elected president until 2026.
• The Association is a member of Inclusion Europe.

 

CRPD Committee reviews how the EU follows the disability rights convention – 20 April

The UN CRPD Committee published its list of issues ahead of it reporting on the European Union.

• The list will be the basis for the Committee’s evaluation of the EU.
• Read the list of issues here.
• Here is an alternative report on the the issue (Inclusion Europe contributed to this report).

Learn more:

• Easy to understand videos about the UN CRPD
• All about our work on UN CRPD
• Easy to understand videos about the EU and people with disabilities
• EU Disability Rights Strategy and more about the EU

 

Pentru voi celebrates 25 years of work for people with intellectual disabilities

• Pentru voi is an organisation in Timisoara, Romania. 
• Pentru voi is a member of Inclusion Europe.
• Pentru voi was established 25 years ago.
• It was the first day centre for adults with intellectual disabilities in Romania.

 

New podcast series from Inclusion Europe – 14 April

• In conversation with… is a new series of Inclusion Europe Radio.
• It brings conversations about topics that are important to what Inclusion Europe is doing.
• In the first episode, Milan Šveřepa talks to Julie Beadle-Brown and Jan Šiška about deinstitutionalisation, and about good services for people with disabilities; listen here:

 

László Bercse spoke at webinar about independent living – 13 April

• László Bercse is a self-advocate, chair of the European Platform of Self-Advocates, vice-president of Inclusion Europe, and co-chair of the Hungarian organisation ÉFOÉSZ.
• The webinar was organised by the EASPD.
• Notes of what László said during the webinar:

I visit many institutions.

• In one of them, I met people who said they like football very much.
• They could watch a game from their window, but they could not join…
• That sums up the segregation.

We want to be citizens fully, of our communities, of cities, of Europe.

• We need support from our families, colleagues.
• We need real work with fair salary. Good quality services cost a lot of money.
• We need personal budgets, to be able to chose the best services for us.
• We need to have the choice of services.
• We need easy to understand information about the different services available.

Service providers should prevent people with disabilities from going into institutions.

• Support people to live independently.
• Support communities to include people with disabilities.
• Train workers to provide better support, based on individual needs, involvement of “users”.

EU should help countries with deinstitutionalisation, so it goes faster, according to the guidelines available.

 

Russia’s war on Ukraine

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