Category: English

  • “Deinstitutionalisation: The present and the future”

    Book cover: he Development, Conceptualisation and Implementation of Quality in Disability Support Services

    The EEG (European Expert Group) is a coalition of organisations advocating to replace institutionalisation with family- and community-based support. The EEG has played big part in establishing deinstitutionalisation as part of EU policies, and promoting the use of EU funds for this purpose. The EEG has created a number of useful tools, such as: Guidelines […]

  • Transformation of services for persons with disabilities – summary of report by UN Special Rapporteur

    Gerard Quinn, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, published a report on transformation of services for people with disabilities. I tried to summarise. (Written for Inclusion Europe.) The report calls for support services to implement these changes: Services based on personhood, focused on supporting personal development and inclusion in the community. Policy […]

  • The impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the rights of persons with intellectual disabilities: evidence from disability and self-advocates organisations in Europe

    Book cover: Disability welfare policy in Europe: Cognitive Disability and the Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic

    László Bercse, Helen Portal and I contributed to a book about the impact of Covid pandemic on people with disabilities. Our chapter is based on Inclusion Europe report called Neglect and discrimination: Multiplied – How Covid-19 affected the rights of people with intellectual disabilities and their families. The book also covers: impact on mental health of children; how the […]

  • 2022. Enough said

    As I write my usual end-of-year summary, there is only one topic that can be in focus: The incredibly courageous response of the Ukrainian people with disabilities and their families facing genocidal Russian war. And alongside it, the solidarity and support provided by all of you in the European and international Inclusion community. What Inclusion […]

  • It can be done: Report on social care written to be read and understood

    I was supposed to have a day off work that Friday. I was supposed to spend it off social media too. But I did neither, and I’m very happy with that. The day before, the United Kingdom’s House of Lords (parliament’s second chamber) published a report by its Adult Social Care Committee called “A gloriously […]

  • On resilience

    Reflections on Europe in Action to End Segregation conference, September, Brussels. Originally published on Inclusion Europe blog. Oh, it was so delightful to have people around for the 3 days of our Europe in Action to End Segregation conference last week. To be able to see and feel the other persons reactions, emotions, body language. […]

  • If you are being overlooked in normal times, it is unlikely that anyone will take you into account during a crisis

    THE IMPACT OF THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE: WHAT THE HOMELESS SECTOR CAN LEARN FROM THE DISABILITY SECTOR

    I was kindly invited by FEANTSA to contribute to their magazine about the impact of the Russian war on Ukraine. This is what I wrote: The situation of people with disabilities in Ukraine There are over 2.7 million people with disabilities in Ukraine, of which some 260,000 are people with intellectual disabilities. They often experience severe […]

  • In conversation with… Podcast series on Inclusion Europe Radio

    Inclusion Europe Radio

    To tell about different stories, experiences, and perspectives on the work we are doing on Inclusion Europe. That is, broadly ;-), the aim of a new podcast series we started in April 2022 at Inclusion Europe Radio. The conversations are hosted by Soufiane El Amrani and me (sometimes, I go it alone). Listen to the […]

  • Protecting people with intellectual disabilities and their families during russian war on Ukraine

    Key parts of Inclusion Europe work to support people with intellectual disabilities and families in Ukraine: Fundraising and financial support There are 14,000 families brought together by our member in Ukraine alone. Many of them without jobs, pensions because of the war. Inclusion Europe launched an emergency fundraiser to help them. By mid-April, we raised […]

  • End-of-year reading and listening recommendations

    As many do at the end of a year, I also shared some reading and listening recommendations from 2021. 🕵️‍♀️ This series of Investigate Europe articles on private money in old people care is definitely worth the time of anyone interested in social services. 🔥 Inclusion Dialogue podcast is always very interesting to get new […]