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Články a rozhovory 2022
Disability Debrief: Escaping institutions, and their shadows Milan Šverepa of Inclusion Europe told me that it’s “ironic” that “one size fits all has become the prevalent approach” in approaching deinstitutionalisation. He is concerned that the move out of institutions is leaving people with intellectual disabilities behind, especially those with complex support needs: “The main goals and key principles…
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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…
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If you are being overlooked in normal times, it is unlikely that anyone will take you into account during a crisis
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…
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Build relationships, not houses
Last 2 days have been about learning how supporting living works in Greece, and how to improve it and make it available to many more people. It was a conference in Athens, held by Estia to mark 10 years of providing supported living services. They kindly invited me to talk about support for independent living and inclusion to…
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Recommendations for Polish deinstitutionalisation strategy
Polskie Forum Osób z Niepełnosprawnościami organised a conference called “We have the right to live independently. We cannot wait any longer”, and I was invited to speak during a panel about the Polish deinstitutionalisation strategy and “whether we have to wait until 2030?” I offered suggestions for deinstitutionalisation: Prevent institutionalisation of those living in the…
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Deinstitutionalisation and families
Today I spoke during a EESC hearing about challenges of the transition from institutional to community-based support for persons with disabilities and the role of families as their carers. I talked about priorities in deinstitutionalisation, one of which must be making the changes work for people with complex support needs too. They are often left…
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The Development, Conceptualisation and Implementation of Quality in Disability Support Services
I was honoured to have been interviewed for a book on deinstitutionalisation, community-based services and inclusion of people with disabilities. About the book “Social services for people with disabilities have undergone substantial changes over time, in particular in the past two decades. Whilst lack of affordable and appropriate housing is a barrier to community living…