Milan Šveřepa

Tag: deinstitutionalisation

  • Right to live independently and to be included; Deinstitutionalisation; Support

    Many politicians, public authorities, and disability service providers act as if they don’t know what the law says about inclusion of people with disabilities.As if they never heard of good disability support. They keep forcing people into “care” institutions, even building new ones.They delay the necessary de-segregation with talk about “need for evidence”, or about…

  • Funders bear responsibility for what their money does

    It is not acceptable for funders to continue paying for segregation of people with intellectual disabilities. All funders need to respect the rights of people with disabilities.They need to listen to what people with disabilities are saying about how the money should be used. Funders are, for example: Countries (including national, regional, local public budgets);…

  • “Deinstitutionalisation: The present and the future”

    “Deinstitutionalisation: The present and the future”

    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…

  • Články a rozhovory 2022

    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…

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

    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

    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…

  • 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…

  • 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…