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Independent Living Institute (ILI),
Annual Report 1999

During all of 1999 the Institute continued working on its HORIZON project financed by the European Union, the Swedish General Inheritance Fund and the company SAMHALL. The project aims at building and maintaining the website Personal Assistance Network.

January

The Institute's director convenes a meeting in San José Costa, Rica exploring the feasibility of starting up a pilot project on accessible mainstream taxi transportation in the city together with Alvaro Mendieta, former Head, Disability unit, The President´s Office and representatives of the city's taxi enterprises.

A Japanese delegation visits the Institute under leadership of Prof. Hiroshi Katoda, Gaikun University. The Institute's director lectures on social policy in the area of disability.

April

Series of meetings with County Council members, Board for Paratransit, soliciting their support for project TAXI FOR ALL. The project would consist of two parts, the feasibility study and the pilot project. Paratransit users would receive a budget in the amount of the County's present costs of their paratranist rides. With the budget project participants would purchase taxi rides from regular taxi operators who are expected to compete for the new market with adapted taxi cars that are accessible to all patrons with or without wheelchair.

The Institute represented by its director participated inthe transnational partnership meeting in Lisbon in our HORIZON project.

August

The Institute's director is invited to take part in a 4 cities and 9 days' tour in Japan organized by the Human Care Association as part of the organization's projet to spread its model of personal assistance delivery through out Japan.

September

The Institute's director is invited to take part in the 4 day global summit meeting on Independent Living in Washington, DC and to chair the plenary session on personal assistance.

The Institute's director is invited to deliver the keynote address at the Congress on The Inclusive Society in Belo Horizonte, Brazil organized by the PUC Minas Gerais, the University in Belo Horizonte.

The Institute hosts its transnational partners in the HORIZON project partnership for a three day meeting consisting of a business meeting, a series of lectures on the social uses of web technology, personal assistance at the work place and peer support.

October

The European Commission DG V, in its budget line for preparing measures to combat social conclusion, decides to support the project IMPULS organized by the partners Independent Living Vlaanderen, Belgium, Per Saldo, Netherlands and the Institute. The project is to describe and analyze discrimination of persons with disabilities and to promote direct payments for personal assistance as antidote.

December

The Institute's administrator Terry Skehan and Susan Berg represent the Institute at the HORIZON transnational parnership meeting in Berlin which focussed on employment and peer support.

Extension of present HORIZON project granted from original June 30, 2000 to December 31, 2000.

Contract signed with KFB, the Swedish Commission on Communications and Transportation Research and the Stockholm County Council Paratransit Division for a feasibility study as first part in the Institute's planned project TAXI FOR ALL. Both contribute the amount of SEK 500 000 each. The pre-study is to begin in January 2000 and finish by summer 2001, when the proposed pilot project is to start, if the feasibility study's results are positive and a political decision for the pilot project can be obtained.

Board for the Independent Living Institute

Adolf Ratzka, Stockholm, Sweden
Philipp Mason, Hampshire, UK
Bente Skansgård, Oslo, Norway
Rolf Bergfors, Göteborg, Sweden