Arrival of participants
Meetings of the ENIL Board and the ENIL Youth Board
PROTEST
Parc du Cinquantenaire
the entrance by Av. de la Joyeuse Entreé 25
9:30
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Gathering of protesters at Avenue de la Joyeuse Entreé 25
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Speeches by activists and allies
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Media interviews
10:45
Beginning of the march
Beginning of the march, with everyone gathered behind the ENIL banner.
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March route: start at Avenue de la Joyeuse Entreé 25 - Av. de la Joyeuse Entreé - Av. de Cortenbergh - Rue de la Loi - Rue de Trèves - European Parliament
There will be stewards in high visibility jackets standing on the edges and police escort in the front and in the back of the march.
Mid march we will be stopping in front of one of the European Commission and in front of the Hungarian Permanent Representation to the EU. At the end of the march, we plan to hand over our demands to the Members of the European Parliament.
13:00
Ending at the European Parliament
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Everyone arriving at the European Parliament
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Distribution of packed lunches to those registered for the Freedom Drive
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Gathering for the hearing in the European Parliament and collection of name badges
Practical Information
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March route: start at Avenue de la Joyeuse Entreé 25 - Av. de la Joyeuse Entreé - Av. de Cortenbergh - Rue de la Loi - Rue de Trèves - European Parliament
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Please bring banners and megaphones, whistles, drums, or anything else to make some noise.
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In case it looks like it will rain, wear a raincoat and warm clothes.
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If you need help during the march, speak to one of the stewards (in a high visibility jacket).
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Please remain in front of the European Parliament at the end of the march, if you are coming to the hearing.
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Please wear your badge, so you can get your packed lunch.
HEARING
What do we want to see on the European Disability Rights Agenda in the next 5 years?
European Parliament (hosted by Katrin Langensiepen MEP)
Room PHS03C50
15:00 - 15:10
Welcome and introduction
Host MEP Katrin Langensiepen
Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Jamie Bolling
ENIL Co-Chair
Elena Kochoska, moderator
ENIL Board member
15:10 - 15:20
Freedom Drive Demands
Florian Sanden
Policy Coordinator
15:20 - 16:00
Actions needed to protect Independent Living in EU
Markus Schefer
Member of the CRPD Committee and rapporteur for the EU
Dr. Teodor Mladenov
University of Dundee and Independent Living Research Network
Edwina Gouder
Ministry for Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector, Malta
Brief interventions from MEPs in the room (Marc Angel MEP, Gabriele Bischoff MEP)
16:00 - 17:00
Promoting Independent Living through global action
Elena Kountouri Tapiero
Regional representative, UN OHCHR Regional office for Europe
Joanna Darmanin
Head of Unit, Humanitarian Aid, DG ECHO, European Commission
Yulia Sachuk
Fight for Right, Ukraine
Gordon Rattray
European Disability Forum
Ellis Matthews
Head of the Human Rights Division, European External Action Service
Brief interventions from MEPs in the room (Ciaran Mullooly MEP, Villy Sovndal MEP)
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​Concluding remarks by Katrin Langensiepen MEP​ and Jamie Bolling, ENIL Co-Chair
Practical Information
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Only those who registered for the hearing in advance will be able to enter. This is because of the limited number of places in the room and the strict security arrangements in the European Parliament.
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You should have also received an email from the Parliament asking you to register once again. Please complete this for yourself and ask your PAs to complete theirs too. (This is a new security requirement, introduced in 2024.)
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Please bring an ID or a passport – this includes your Personal Assistant(s).
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Please be in front of the Parliament on time, at 13:30 or earlier. We will not be able to wait for everyone who comes late, because we need to start the hearing on time. We will be entering in the European Parliament in smaller groups. Participants in wheelchairs and their PAs will be first to enter.
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If you are meeting with your MEP(s) in the European Parliament just before the hearing, you can come straight to the hearing. There is no need to meet everyone in front.
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Accessible toilets will be available in the Parliament, for those who need to use a toilet after the protest.
18:00 - 23:00
ENIL’s 35th anniversary celebration 18:00–23:00
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ENIL will be celebrating its 35th anniversary with a dinner and a party in Residence Palace. All those who registered for the Freedom Drive are welcome to join. There will be speeches, food, drinks, music and a birthday cake.
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For anyone who would like to follow the speeches online, please register here.
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Doors will open at 17:30, with welcome drinks and finger food served from 18:00 - 19:00
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​At 18:00, there will be welcome words by ENIL Co-chairs, followed by a memorial for Adolf Ratzka and a minute of silence for all the Independent Living leaders who passed away since the last Freedom Drive
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Key moments from ENIL's history will be presented by ENIL and ENIL Youth
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We will then hear from John Evans OBE, one of the co-founders of ENIL and from some key supporters
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The last speech will be by the ENIL Director and ENIL Youth on the future of ENIL
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A walking dinner will start at 19:00 and will end at 21:00, after which there will be a birthday cake and music
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WORKSHOPS
Residence Palace
Rue de la Loi 155, 1040 Brussels
8:30 - 10:00
Lobby
Registration and welcome coffee
Supported decision making – how does it work in practice
Kristin Torske
ULOBA Independent Living Norway
Theresia Degener
Human rights lawyer and former Chair of the CRPD Committee
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Moderator: Adela Santos Lavigne
LITI-GATE Project Coordinator, ENIL​​
International cooperation - What role can disabled people's organisations play?
Kimber Bialik
Director of programmes and Network development, Inclusion International
Sarah Hull
EU Advocacy Coordinator, Light for the World
Tushar Wali
Disaster Risk Management Director, CBM Global
Marion Steff & Erika Hudson
International cooperation team, European Disability Forum
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​Moderator: Nadia Hadad
Co-Chair, ENIL
12:00 - 13:00
Lobby
Lunch break
for those taking part in workshops (registration necessary)
Ableism – What is it and how to fight it?
Ingrid Thunem
ENIL Board member, Norway
Josefien Cornette
Author and speaker, Belgium
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Moderator: Antonella Candiago
Policy Officer, ENIL
What can the European Union do to improve Independent Living in my country?
Markus Schefer
Member of the CRPD Committee and rapporteur for the EU, Switzerland
Lucie Davoine
DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission​
Laszlo Bercse
Self-advocate and Vice-President of Inclusion Europe
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Moderator: Florian Sanden
Policy Coordinator, ENIL
15:30 - 16:00
Lobby
Coffee break
Building Centres for Independent Living – Supporting disabled people’s empowerment
Rebecca Tayler Edwards
Disability Rights UK
Diogo Martins
CIL Portugal
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Moderator: Kamil Goungor
Policy and Movement Support Officer, ENIL
Ensuring respect for Independent Living as part of the EU accession
Suvad Zahirović
Lotos, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Martin Muehleck
DG European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, European Commission​
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Moderator: Rita Crespo Fernandez
Human Rights Coordinator, ENIL
16:00 - 18:00
Room Passage
Nothing is Impossible - Making a reality of the Guidelines on deinstitutionalisation
(a facilitated discussion)
With Nic Crosby (ENIL-ECCL), Teodor Mladenov (ILRN) and Ines Bulić Cojocariu (ENIL) as facilitators
Deinstitutionalisation continues to challenge societies all round the world. The scale of change needed can seem daunting and lead to half measures or no change, with disabled people continuing to be segregated in institutions. We need to keep our hope alive and one way of doing this is focusing on ‘what is strong’, not ‘what is wrong’. This discussion will include examples of success big and small (and some failures). Together, we can think about how we continue to work towards the complete closure of institutions for disabled people across Europe.
10:00 - 16:00
Art workshop to make banners for the protest
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​​The art workshop will take place in the basement of the Mundo J building. With the support of our volunteer artist Ramon Moreno Casas, who created artwork for the previous Freedom Drives, we will be creating banners for the protest on Tuesday.
Materials will be supplied, you just need to bring your ideas. Art skills are not required, but registration is. Due to the lack of space, this workshop is limited to 10 persons. Please come early, so that the banners have time to dry up.
19:00 - 21:00
Youth Cafe
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The Youth Cafe will be run by the ENIL Youth Board and is open to all young Freedom Drivers (no one will be checking your ID, so everyone who feels young is welcome). It will take place on the ground floor of Mundo J.
The topic of the Cafe is “Independent Living and the rise of the far right”, with connected sub-topics such as radicalisation and activism, war as a disability issue, the building of the disability movement and many more.
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Soft drinks and snacks will be provided. Registration is not mandatory but we would appreciate it if you could fill in this short form of interest so we have an idea of how many people will join us.
All Day
Meetings of Freedom Drivers with their new members of the European Parliament
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The new Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will be in Brussels and the Freedom Drive is the perfect opportunity to introduce them to Independent Living. We encourage all Freedom Drivers who have MEPs to contact them and schedule a meeting during the first day of the Freedom Drive, on 23 September. You can find a list of your MEPs and their contact details here.
CONFERENCE
Rebuilding the Independent Living Pillars
EU Thon Hotel
Rue de la Loi 75, 1040 Brussels
Register here to follow the conference remotely
9:00 - 10:00
Welcome coffee and registration
10:00 - 10:45
Introductory remarks
Jamie Bolling and Charlie Willis
ENIL Co-Chair & ENIL Youth Board member
Heba Hagrass
UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (pre-recorded video message)
Elke Van den Brandt
Minister for Mobility, Public Works and Road Safety
Theresia Degener
Human rights lawyer and former Chair of the CRPD Committee
Helena Dalli
Commissioner for Equality, European Union
10:45 - 12:00
Deinstitutionalisation: Fighting against golden cages
Antonia Trikalioti
I-living Greece
Simone Aspis
Free Our People Now Campaign, UK
Steven Allen
Validity Foundation, Hungary
Nic Crosby
National Development Team for Inclusion and ECCL
Moderator: Jamie Bolling
12:00 - 13:30
Lunch
13:30 - 15:00
Personal assistance: New strategies to ensure access for all
Stefan Tromel
International Labour Organisation (via video)
Martine Eliasson
The Nordic Centre of Excellence on Personal Assistance, Uloba – Independent Living Norway
Klaudija Poropat
YHD, Slovenia
Sanni Purhonen
Threshold, Finland
Patrick Vandelanotte
GRIP, Belgium
Moderator: Kamil Goungor
15:00 - 15:30
Coffee break
15:30 - 16:30
All In: Strengthening Europe’s Independent Living Movement
Melike Bal
ENIL Youth Network, Turkey (via video)
Viera Hincova
European Council of Autistic People
Nic Morgan
Euro Youth Mental Health
Moderator: Nadia Hadad
16:30 - 17:00
Independent Living Pillars: From Washington DC to Brussels
Dr. Teodor Mladenov
Coordinator of the Independent Living Research Network and University of Dundee
Nadia Hadad
ENIL Co-Chair
Practical Information
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Captioning and International Sign Language interpretation will be available.
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For those not in Brussels, you will be able to follow the conference online. Zoom links will be shared the week before the conference.
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Please note that this programme is subject to changes.
WORKSHOPS
HEARING
PROTEST
YOUTH CAFE
BANNER MAKING
ENIL'S 35TH ANNIVERSARY
