This year’s annual COFACE Disability platform meeting aimed to bring together COFACE members and external partners to share diverse insights and experiences related to the inclusive transition of care services for persons with disabilities.
It was hosted by Unapei in Paris, France.
The discussion focused on what this inclusive transition concretely entails on the ground, what are the challenges and opportunities in facilitating it, the presentation of local best practices, as well as insights into the best way to integrate families in its realisation.
The discussion aimed to encompass developments at European, national, and regional levels.
There were 30+ delegates from 13 countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Hungary, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Spain. See some of the faces of COFACE Disability here.
Some of the ideas emerging from the discussions included the following:
- We need to continue mainstreaming the UNCRPD in European and national laws, making this a key objective in all activities;
- We need to continue fighting for inclusive education across Europe, for the rights of children to build truly inclusive societies;
- We need to strengthen the family dimension of the European Strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities;
- We saw many parents of children and adults with disabilities connect more than ever through their common experience and in the knowledge that they are not alone in their fight for human rights and the recognition of family carers;
- Our S.H.I.F.T. guide stays our key vision for rethinking disability policies, more than ever;
- There are so many great practices out there, including the community building and empowerment in Apei de la Boucle de la Seine
Presentations given during the meeting include the following:
- Unapei: Approach to DI across their support services
- APF France Handicap: DI in France
- COFACE Families Europe : EU developments on disability and care
- APEMH: Inclusive education from rights to reality in Luxembourg
- Cofaas Clelia: “After us” law in Italy
A meeting report will be available for COFACE Disability members.
Find here a video from the event in Paris explaining some of the work we do with COFACE Disability Platform:
