Overview

The recognition of citizenship rights of people with disabilities over the last decades has made the need to create social policies that promote social inclusion, participation and self-determination for people with disabilities pressing. In other geographical contexts this was only possible through the establishment of the right to Independent Living. Enshrined in art. 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Independent Living means that people with disabilities should have the same choice, control and freedom to manage their lives and life in their communities as anyone else. In Portugal this is a very recent and not a generalized possibility for all people with disabilities.

Adolf Ratzka (Founder and Director of the Independent Living Institute - Sweden), and Kapka Panayotova (President of the European Network on Independent Living - ENIL) will be present at this international colloquium, which seeks to provide a moment of reflection on the situation of people with disabilities and the implementation of Independent Living for people with disabilities in Portugal.

Organisers: Project "DECIDE - Disability and self-determination: the challenge of Independent living in Portugal" (PTDC / IVC-SOC / 6484/2014 - POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016803)