On 9th and 10th March 2017, Equinet and the Croatian Office of the Ombudswoman for Persons with Disabilities co-organised a capacity-building seminar on Equality bodies tackling discrimination against persons with intellectual disabilities. The event took place in Zagreb, Croatia.
Background information
Discrimination against persons with intellectual disabilities touches upon many areas of life. Despite the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) by 27 EU Member States and the European Union itself, challenges in legislation and practice remain for persons with intellectual disabilities.
Several national and international reports highlight these challenges, such as legal capacity, political participation, the right to independent living, or the specific situation of women with intellectual disabilities. Specific reports and data focusing on persons with intellectual disabilities in Europe are however rare.
The majority of Equinet members have a mandate to address discrimination on the ground of disability. In 2014, the Perspective “Realising Rights. Equality bodies and people with disabilities. Supporting the review of the European Union Disability Strategy 2010-2020” revealed that 7 of them undertook specific activities to engage persons with intellectual disabilities in their work. This includes for instance delivering self-advocacy training, producing awareness raising tools about their rights and engaging with non-governmental organisations advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities.
Given the specific situation of persons with intellectual disabilities and the numerous challenges they face on the ground of disability and on other grounds of discrimination, there is a strong potential and demand from Equinet membership to build their capacity in this area.
Objectives
The main objective of the Seminar was to build individual capacity of equality bodies’ staff members to address discrimination against persons with intellectual disabilities.
In particular, the Seminar aimed to:
- Help equality bodies with understanding and clarifying the main concepts related to discrimination against persons with intellectual disabilities.
- Provide them with practical guidance on how to address discrimination against persons with intellectual disabilities from a legal, policy and communication perspective.
- Stimulate and support peer learning.
Speakers’ Presentations
OPENING SESSION
- Welcome and opening by Evelyn Collins, Chair of Equinet, Chief Executive of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland
- Welcome by co-host, Anka Slonjsak, Ombudswoman for Persons with Disabilities, Croatia
SESSION 1 – Main definitions and challenges faced by persons with intellectual disabilities
Chair: Evelyn Collins, Chair of the Equinet Executive Board and Chief Executive of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland
- Discrimination against persons with intellectual disabilities: main challenges – Senada Halilcevic, Vice-President of Inclusion Europe and Self-Advocate
- The EU and international legal framework – Oliver Lewis, Executive Director, Mental Disability Advocacy Centre
LEGAL WORKSHOP: Legal assistance to persons with intellectual disabilities
- Presentation: Strategic Litigation and discrimination against persons with intellectual disabilities- Oliver Lewis, Executive Director, Mental Disability Advocacy Centre
- Discussion 1: How to use the CRPD in legal assistance to persons with intellectual disabilities? – Facilitated by Oliver Lewis, Executive Director, Mental Disability Advocacy Centre
- Discussion 2: Legal capacity of persons with intellectual disabilities: equality bodies’ practices – Facilitated by Martha Stickings, Social Research Officer, EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA)
POLICY WORKSHOP: Advocating with and for persons with intellectual disabilities
- Presentation: FRA’s projects on the rights of persons with intellectual disabilities – Martha Stickings, Social Research Officer, EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA)
- Discussion 1: Advocating with persons with intellectual disabilities: cooperation with self-advocates and DPOs – Facilitated by Senada Halilcevic, Vice-President of Inclusion Europe and Self-Advocate
- Discussion 2: Contributing to legislative change for persons with intellectual disabilities: equality bodies’ practices – Facilitated by Branka Meić, Advisor, Office of the Ombudswoman for Persons with Disabilities, Croatia
COMMUNICATION WORKSHOP: Addressing underreporting and reaching out to persons with intellectual disabilities
- Presentation: Addressing underreporting – Example of the Visa Pour le Net Project – Laëtitia Jacoby, Project Manager, Visa Pour le Net Project
- Discussion 1: Using Easy-to-Read tools to address underreporting – Facilitated by Soufiane El Amrani, Easy-to-Read Editor, Inclusion Europe
- Discussion 2: Reaching out to persons with intellectual disabilities: equality bodies’ strategies – Facilitated by Zuzana Pavlíčková, Legal Expert for External Relations, Slovak National Centre for Human Rights, Slovakia
SESSION 2 and DISCUSSION GROUPS: Discrimination against persons with intellectual disabilities: intersections with the grounds of gender and age
Chair: Jessica Machacova, Membership & Policy Officer, Equinet Secretariat
- Discrimination against women with intellectual disabilities – Maureen Piggot, President, Inclusion Europe
- Children with intellectual disabilities and access to education – Biljana Janjic, Program Associate, Serbia Regional Office, Disability Rights International
Summary of the Seminar
A summary of the main learnings and conclusions of the Seminar is available here:
Agenda
The agenda of the Seminar is available here:
Agenda PWID Seminar March 2017
Photos
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| Equality bodies tackling discrimination against persons with intellectual disabilities, Zagreb, 9-10 March 2017 |