Med Lagen som Verktyg

Webbinarium - Hur arbetade Adolf Ratzka med lagen som verktyg?

Hur arbetade Adolf Ratzka med lagen som verktyg?
Webbinarium måndag 14 oktober kl. 18.00.

 Zoom-länk för att delta..

För att belysa Adolfs insats och tankar på detta område genomför föreningen DRDS den 14 oktober kl. 18.00 – 19.00 ett webbinarium.

Diskrimineringsjuristen Paul Lappalainen inleder med en betraktelse över juridikens möjligheter och fallgropar.
DRDS ordförande Jonas Franksson är med.

News update on Adolf Ratzka and the funeral

A week has gone since Adolf, one of the world’s Independent Living’s strongest leaders, died in a tragic accident.
Adolf’s wife Doro and Katharina his daughter have planned the funeral. Some plans are not completely confirmed but we now publish the information that is confirmed with the dates so people can make arrangements to attend if they can. All are welcome to attend Adolf’s funeral ceremony and memorial service, but you do need to register on the funeral home’s webpage listed below.

Nyhetsuppdatering om Adolf Ratzka och begravningen

En vecka har gått sedan Adolf, en av världens Independent Livings starkaste ledare, dog i en tragisk olycka. Adolfs fru Doro och hans dotter Katharina har planerat begravningen. Vissa planer är inte helt bekräftade men vi publicerar nu informationen som är bekräftad med datum så att folk kan ordna med att delta om de kan.

Adolf Ratzka, a great leader of the Independent Living movement has unfortunately passed away.

Bolling, Jamie.  2024.  Adolf Ratzka, a great leader of the Independent Living movement has unfortunately passed away..
English

On Sunday July 21 2024 Adolf had an accident that led to the stopping of his heart. Adolf is loved by many, respected by even more. He with others brought the Independent Living philosophy to Europe and he introduced it to Sweden from the United States in the 70s. Adolf lifted the concept of personal assistance with his endeavors changing disability policy in Sweden and in many other countries. People with disability grew stronger realizing they had the right to equal rights and self -determination. Adolf founded the Independent Living Institute, ILI in 1993. Before this he mobilized people and founded the STIL project in the 80s with others who also needed personal assistance.

Independent Living Institute Annual Report 2023

Independent Living Institute.  2024.  Independent Living Institute Annual Report 2023.
English

ANNUAL REPORT 2023

The Independent Living Institute (ILI) works to promote opportunities for people with disabilities for more personal and political power, self-determination, full participation and equality through information, education, advocacy and project activities.

Independent Living Institute Verksamhetsberättelse 2023

Independent Living Institute.  2024.  Independent Living Institute Verksamhetsberättelse 2023.
Swedish

ÅRSBERÄTTELSE 2023

Independent Living Institute (ILI) arbetar för att främja möjligheter för människor med funktionsnedsättning till mer personlig och politisk makt, självbestämmande, full delaktighet och jämlikhet genom information, utbildning, opinionsbildning och projektverksamhet.

Equality Policy and Systematic Work Environment Management

1.0 Workplace Environment Policy

ILI is committed to adhering to all applicable work environment legislation to maximise equality of all including among others women, persons with disability and those with migration background (see point 4). ILI is continuously improving the workplace both organizationally, socially, and physically for the integration of all.

English

Personal assistance in Sweden

Smaaland, Jessica.  2023.  Personal assistance in Sweden.
English

In Sweden there are changes in the law being viewed for personal assistance. One change that is now on the table is to make the state solely responsible for personal assistance and not as it is today – a division between the state and the municipalities.

In March, results were presented from an investigation suggesting that personal assistance should be entirely decided and paid for by the state. This is something that the Swedish cooperative STIL has been lobbying for a long time. If this proposal were to go through, those people who currently have their personal assistance granted by the municipality will be transferred to the Swedish Försäkringskassan, or the national authority.

Disability Defenders Network’s Newsletter - The development of personal assistance in Scotland

Elder-Woodward, Jim.  2023.  Disability Defenders Network’s Newsletter - The development of personal assistance in Scotland.
English

Project 81

As with the USA, the concept of disabled people controlling their own support system started with a small group of disabled people being given money to employ their own personal assistants to live a fulfilling life in the community. But this time the group were not university students, but residents of a residential home in Hampshire, England. Project 81, the International Year of People with Disabilities, appealed to the right-wing neoliberal government at that time, which favoured self-help and self-responsibility for one’s own welfare. Here, disabled people were being taken from dependency on others in expensive care homes, to the independence of their self-directed support in the community.

 

The struggle for a PA law in Poland

Orylski, Lukasz.  2023.  The struggle for a PA law in Poland.
English

In 2012, the Polish parliament, which had a majority of the centrist parties, ratified the CRPD. Despite this, nothing was done to make personal assistance available and regulated at central level. Until 2019, this kind of support was mainly organised only in Poland's largest cities. This was done by NGOs, not controlled by persons with disabilities. The services were funded by European Union funds or city budgets. A report prepared by independent researchers, commissioned by the government's Office for Persons with Disabilities shows that between 2016 and 2020, personal assistance was not implemented fully in accordance with the CRPD and General Comment 5 anywhere in Poland. There was a lack of regulations specifying in which activities the assistant could support the service user. Interruptions in the implementation of services, even lasting several months, were frequent. The users could not decide who would become their personal assistant. Service hour limits were not tailored to individual service users' needs. Children and young people were not able to access personal assistants. In practice, people living in rural areas and small towns were not able to access these services.

The Development of Personal Assistance in Malta: Moving closer to independent living through a practical and phased approach

Farrugia, Mauro.  2023.  The Development of Personal Assistance in Malta: Moving closer to independent living through a practical and phased approach.
English

Malta small’s size lends itself ideal to implement changes; word travels fast, unlike the propensity to challenge the status quo. Along the years, Malta’s disability rights movement has been sporadic, often led by parents who placed most of their concerns on what happens to their sons and daughters once they pass away. The charity model was at the forefront, with the Church opening a number of larger residential institutions. Whilst a stance that was much needed at the time, when persons with disabilities were kept hidden from society, it remains a dominant perspective to this day, with institutions generally perceived as essential and beneficial.

Personal Assistance: What's the current situation in Finland?

Purhonen, Sanni.  2023.  Personal Assistance: What's the current situation in Finland?
English

Sanni Purhonen

As you know there are different ways of organizing personal assistance in the Finnish model: purchase service, service voucher and an employer model. The Threshold Association favours especially the employer model, because it provides the best starting point for the independent living. Personal assistance has been a subjective right for the disabled people in Finland since 2009.

The history of the adoption of the Personal Assistance Law in Bulgaria and its subsequent controversial effect - 2009-2023

Nikolov, Mitko.  2023.  The history of the adoption of the Personal Assistance Law in Bulgaria and its subsequent controversial effect - 2009-2023.
English

Mitko Nikolov

The Law on Personal Assistance (PAA) was adopted in Bulgaria in 2018 after a long struggle by several groups of people with disabilities. An initial initiative was the Center for Independent Life (CIL) - a non-governmental organization of disabled people with over 20 years of expertise in protecting the rights of disabled people and their empowerment. In 2009, a group of people with severe physical disabilities, with the support of lawyers, studied the European and world experience and, especially that of Sweden and Norway, and developed a draft of the PAA. In it, they combined the best practices from the experience of other countries and complied with the current Bulgarian legal norms.

Establishing a Nordic Competence Centre on Personal Assistance

Skogseth, Egil Gullestad.  2023.  Establishing a Nordic Competence Centre on Personal Assistance.
English

Initiator: Vibeke Marøy Melstrøm in Uloba has invited other Nordic independent living organisations to co-found the new competence centre on personal assistance. From left to right: Jonas Franksson and Jessica Smaaland from STIL, Erna Eiríksdóttir from NPA, and Laila Bakke and Egil G. Skogseth from Uloba

Nordic independent living organisations join forces to systematically exchange documentation and the development of the situation of personal assistance in each country. This way trends and threats can be identified in order to organise counter activity.

Iceland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway have similar welfare states, and have all ratified The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). In the Nordic Council and other fora, Nordic politicians exchange ideas on political reforms on issues such as personal assistance (PA). Governmental investigations and policy papers on PA in Norway and Sweden compare PA in the Nordic countries.

Peer support and independent living

Grotta, Alessandra, Goungor Kamil.  2023.  Peer support and independent living.
English

What is Peer Support and why is it important in the context of Independent Living

Peer support is one of the pillars of Independent Living and an essential element for the self-determination of disabled people.

Peer support can be described as the help and support that people with lived experience can give to other individuals in a similar situation. For example, it can refer to support provided by someone using personal assistance (PA) to another person using a PA. Or, to somebody who has lived in an institution in the past to other people still living in institutions. This support may be social, emotional or practical (or all of these), and can be life changing.

Personal Assistance - What should personal assistance look like?

Mladenov, Teodor.  2023.  Personal Assistance - What should personal assistance look like?
English

Personal Assistance - What should personal assistance look like?

Teodor Mladenov
Teodor Mladenov, Senior Lecturer at the University of Dundee and Coordinator of ENIL’s Independent Living Research Network

Introduction

This article is part of a special issue on Personal Assistance (PA) of the Disability Rights Defenders Newsletter published by the Independent Living Institute.

Independent Living Institute Annual Report 2022

Independent Living Institute.  2023.  Independent Living Institute Annual Report 2022.
English

ANNUAL REPORT 2022

Independent Living Institute (ILI) works to promote opportunities for persons with disabilities for more personal and political power, self-determination, full participation and equality through information, education, advocacy, and project activities. In 2022, ILI carried out several projects in pursuit of its goals and visions, described in this document. All major projects have their own webpage, Facebook page, and published newsletter.

File attachments: 

Independent Living Institute Verksamhetsberättelse 2022

Independent Living Institute.  2023.  Independent Living Institute Verksamhetsberättelse 2022.
Swedish

ÅRSBERÄTTELSE 2022

Independent Living Institute (ILI) arbetar för att främja möjligheter för människor med funktionsnedsättning till mer personlig och politisk makt, självbestämmande, full delaktighet och jämlikhet genom information, utbildning, opinionsbildning och projektverksamhet. Under 2022 verkade ILI via flera projekt för att uppnå sina mål och visioner som beskrivs i detta dokument. Alla större projekt har egna webbsidor, facebooksidor och ger ut nyhetsbrev.

File attachments: 

Avskaffade institutioner på agendan

Grafström, Herman.  2023.  Avskaffade institutioner på agendan.
Swedish

Avskaffade institutioner på agendan

Den femte maj firas varje år Independent Living Day och 2023 uppmärksammades detta bland annat med en konferens i ILIs lokaler i Farsta utanför Stockholm. Det var ett tjugotal åhörare som samlades för att lyssna på föreläsningar, ställa frågor och diskutera ämnet avinstitutionalisering i Sverige.

Judy Heumann has left us

Adolf, Dr. Ratzka.  2023.  Judy Heumann has left us.
English

Presenters at the Tenerife Conference on Independent Living 2004 with Judy Heumann in the first row
Presenters at the Tenerife Conference on Independent Living 2004 with Judy Heumann in the first row

Judy Heumann has left us.

The worldwide Independent Living and Disability Rights Movement has lost its most outspoken, powerful, and tireless spokesperson. Judy Heumann passed away on March 4, aged 75.

Judy Heumann har lämnat oss

Dr. Adolf Ratzka.  2023.  Judy Heumann har lämnat oss.
Swedish

Föreläsare
vid första europeiska Konferensen om Independent Living, Teneriffa 2004 med
Judy Heumann i första raden
Föreläsare vid första europeiska Konferensen om Independent Living, Teneriffa 2004 med Judy Heumann i första raden

Judy Heumann har lämnat oss.

Den världsomspännande rörelsen för Independent Living och funktionsrätt har förlorat sin mest elokventa, kraftfulla och outtröttliga talesperson. Judy Heumann avled den 4 mars, 75 år gammal.

Freedom to choose with whom, where and how you want to live – Deinstitutionalisation (DI) in Sweden

Karlsson, Riitta-Leena, Bolling Jamie.  2022.  Freedom to choose with whom, where and how you want to live – Deinstitutionalisation (DI) in Sweden.
English
In this publication, Jamie Bolling and Riitta-Leena Karlsson examine what is required to provide persons with disabilities with opportunities to live like others. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and existing Swedish laws, not least the Social Services Act (SoL) and the Act concerning Support and Service for Persons with Certain Functional Impairments (LSS), support this goal. However, as the authors note, the implementation recently has become restrained in a manner that has impaired the possibilities to do so for many.

Friheten att bestämma med vem, var och hur en vill bo – Avinstitutionalisering/Deinstitutionalization (DI) i Sverige

Karlsson, Riitta-Leena, Bolling Jamie.  2022.  Friheten att bestämma med vem, var och hur en vill bo – Avinstitutionalisering/Deinstitutionalization (DI) i Sverige. :88.
Swedish
I den här skriften redovisar Jamie Bolling och Riitta Leena Karlsson vad som krävs för att personer med funktionsnedsättning ska få möjligheter att leva ett liv som andra. FN:s konvention om rättigheter för personer med funktionsnedsättning och gällande svenska lagar, inte minst socialtjänstlagen och lagen om stöd och service till vissa funktionshindrade (LSS), ger stöd för det målet, men som de konstaterar så har tillämpningen under senare stramats åt på ett sätt som för många har försämrat förutsättningarna att kunna göra det.

Stefan Käll har gått bort

Independent Living Institute är ledsen att informera om att Stefan Käll, en god vän och viktig person inom Independent Living Rörelsen, tyvärr hastigt har gått bort i cancer.

Commemorating Philip Mason, MBE

Philip Mason has left us at the age of 81.

Philip had an important role in the British and European Independent Living Movement. He served on the ILI Board from ILI’s beginnings until he resigned in 2005 to be able to concentrate more on local issues.

DRD Newsletter June 2022

In this edition of the DRD newsletter you are invited to save the date for the CRPD COSP and the ENIL/DRD side event. You can also read several articles on the theme of or around deinstitutionalisation in the EU context with the ENIL comparison between care and personal assistance, the  Swedish context with ILIs DI paper and an account of a loss of social services and the lack of choice in living arrangements and lastly on personal assistance in the Norwegian context: 

 

  1. Save the date for the COSP on June 14 – 16 at 21:15 CET for the ENIL/DRD side event “Resisting calls to invest in institutions – a discussion with funders, policy makers and DPOs.
  2. What is a COSP? gives a little background on the COSP of the CRPD.
  3. EU Mass Directive and what it means for disabled Ukrainians.
  4. Save the date for the Swedish workshop on the DI guidelines.
  5. Guidelines for consultation on deinstitutionalisation.
  6. ENIL Care VS Personal Assistance.
  7. The Independent Living Institute’s publication called “ The Freedom to decide with whom, where and how to live - Deinstitutionalization in Sweden ” on the history of Sweden closing the larger institutions from January 2000 but where with cuts there is the threat of reinstitutionalisation.
  8. Annika's daughter forced to move to group housing - "An abuse".

  9. Battle for future personal assistance in Norway is an English version of the Norwegian article published on the webpage of AssistansKoll

  10. Won Finnish case against discrimination of disabled people and the libert

English

Comparison between personal assistance and home care work

Mladenov, Teodor, Elder-Woodward Jim, Siilsalu Mari, Cojocariu Ines Bulic, Hadad Nadia, Angelova-Mladenova Lilia.  2022.  Comparison between personal assistance and home care work.
English

 This document was co-created in May 2022 by Teodor Mladenov (University of Dundee), Jim Elder-Woodward (Scottish Independent Living Coalition), Mari Siilsalu (Independent Living Institute), Ines Bulic Cojocariu (European Network on Independent Living), Nadia Hadad (European Network on Independent Living), and Lilia Angelova-Mladenova (European Network on Independent Living).

Decision adopted by the UN CRPD Committee against Finland under article 5 of the Optional Protocol, concerning CRPD art 5, 14 and 19

The UN CRPD Committee found that the fact that the relevant domestic authorities in Finland rejected the author’s application for personal assistance on the basis of resource criteria is indirect discrimination against persons with intellectual disabilities as it had the effect of impairing or nullifying the author’s enjoyment and exercise of the right of living independently and being included in the community on an equal basis with others, in violation of his rights under article 5 (1) and (2) read alone and in conjunction with article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Di

Utställning med fotografier och berättelser från ett Photovoice projekt av Disabled Refugees Welcome (DRW)

VI VILL BLI LYSSNADE TILL!

Erfarenheter av migranter med funktionshinder i Sverige.
Utställning med fotografier och berättelser från ett Photovoice projekt av Disabled Refugees Welcome (DRW).

DRW team och photovoice deltagare/utställare

På Mångkulturellt centrum, Värdshusvägen 7, Fittja

Utställningen pågår från 11 mars till 14 april 2022

Independent Living Institute Annual Report 2021

Independent Living Institute.  2022.  Independent Living Institute Annual Report 2021.
English

Independent Living Institute (ILI) works to promote opportunities for individuals with disabilities for more personal and political power, self-determination, full participation and equality through information, education, lobby and project activities. During 2021, ILI carried out several projects to reach its goals and visions which are described in this document. All the projects have their own webpage, Facebook-page and publish newsletters.

The structure of this annual report is as follows:

Fokus funktionshinder – digital minikonferens

Datum

Onsdag 16 mars 2022
Kl. 13:30–15:00

Möt aktörer i Stockholms län som på olika sätt arbetar med att stödja utveckling av stöd, vård och omsorg till personer med funktionsnedsättning.

Independent Living Institute Verksamhetsberättelse 2021

Indpendent Living Institute.  2022.  Independent Living Institute Verksamhetsberättelse 2021.
Swedish

Independent Living Institute (ILI) arbetar för att främja möjligheterna för människor med funktionsnedsättning till mer personlig och politisk makt, självbestämmande, full delaktighet och jämlikhet genom information, utbildning, opinionsbildning och projektverksamhet. Under 2021 verkade ILI via flera projekt för att uppnå sina mål och visioner som beskrivs i detta dokument. Alla större projekt har egna webbsidor, facebooksidor och ger ut nyhetsbrev. 

Årsberättelsens struktur är som följer: 1) projektverksamhet, 2) övrigt om verksamheten och institutet inkl. förteckningar över evenemang, nyhetsartiklar, remissvar m.m. som genomförts/ producerats under året samt personal, styrelse och finansiering.

File attachments: 

Independent Living – för ett liv med självbestämmande

Bolling, Jamie.  2022.  Independent Living – för ett liv med självbestämmande.
Swedish

Vad är Independent Living (IL) och vad står det för?
I den här essän berättar  Jamie Bolling, Independent Living Institutes verksamhetsledare och Artikel 19 som verktygs projektledare, historien bakom IL-rörelsen, förklarar begreppen och reder ut vad Independent Living innebär.

Ayuda para vivir antes que para morir

Dr., Ratzka Adolf;.  2022.  Ayuda para vivir antes que para morir.
Spanish

 

Sólo en Suecia, más de 16.000 personas perdieron la vida en la pandemia. Sin embargo, el suicidio asistido para personas con extensas discapacidades y enfermedades terminales es el debate actual. Llevo más de 60 años viviendo con un respirador. Amo mi vida. ¡No dejes que otras personas determinen si tu vida merece la pena ser vivida!

Lasst nicht andere darüber entscheiden, ob euer Leben lebenswert ist!

Dr., Ratzka Adolf;.  2022.  Lasst nicht andere darüber entscheiden, ob euer Leben lebenswert ist!.
German

 

In Schweden haben bisher über 16000 Menschen ihr Leben durch die Pandemie verloren. Dennoch wird hier zur Zeit die Beihilfe zum Suizid für Menschen mit umfassenden Behinderungen und unheilbaren Krankheiten debattiert.
Ich lebe seit über 60 Jahren mit einem Beatmungsgerät. Ich liebe mein Leben.
Lasst nicht andere darüber entscheiden, ob euer Leben lebenswert ist!

Help to live before help to die!

Dr., Ratzka Adolf;.  2022.  Help to live before help to die!.
English

 

In Sweden alone, over 16,000 people lost their lives in the pandemic. Yet assisted suicide for people with extensive disabilities and terminal diseases is the current debate. I've been living with a respirator for over 60 years. I love my life. Let not other people determine whether your life is worth living!

Help to live before help to die!

Björn Natthiko Lindeblad, the former business leader, Buddhist monk, author and lecturer who was diagnosed with ALS, was in the media spotlight when he chose to end his life on January 17. The debate has been about the right of persons with terminal illnesses and severe limitations to end their lives. But what right do we have to help and life-sustaining treatment to live with terminal illnesses and severe limitations?

Låt livshjälp gå före dödshjälp

Dr., Ratzka Adolf;.  2022.  Låt livshjälp gå före dödshjälp.
Swedish

 

Denna skrivelse publicerades först i  en debattartikel i Sydsvenskan.

Björn Natthiko Lindeblad, den tidigare företagsledaren, buddistmunken och föreläsaren som diagnostiserades med ALS, har fått stor uppmärksamhet efter att han valde att avsluta sitt liv.

Debatten handlar om att människor med obotliga sjukdomar och stora begränsningar ska ha rätten till att avsluta sina liv. Men en annan viktig fråga är vilken rätt man har till hjälp och livsuppehållande behandling för att kunna leva med obotliga sjukdomar och stora begränsningar.

ENIL Job Opportunity: Policy Coordinator

The European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) is looking for a full time Policy Coordinator for its Brussels office, with a starting date as soon as possible. The Policy Coordinator will be responsible for planning and implementing ENIL’s advocacy strategy at the European and international level.  Apply by 6 February 2022

Meeting of the Disability Rights Defenders Nordic network on February 2, 2022

Come to the Meeting of the Disability Rights Defenders Nordic network on February 2, 2022 – Time: 13:00 – 16:00 CET

This meeting is a follow up from the Nordic network meeting in November 2020. Representation is confirmed from Estonia, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

On the agenda:

  • our work with the CRPD,
  • our work with personal assistance, obstacles and cooperation going forward.

Please confirm attendance to me by January 22, 2022 – Jamie.bolling@independentliving.org . Welcome!

Disability Rights Defenders Newsletter December 2021

DRD-Logo

This Disability Defenders Network Newsletter is dedicated to Kapka Panayotova

 Jamie Bolling 

English

Missa inte seminarium om - Demokrati + trygghetssystem = sant? Måndag 6 december 2021

När: Måndag 6 december 2021 12:30 - 13:30 G4MR Dagarna 6-7 december 2021

Plats: MR-dagarna i Göteborg. Den 6-7 december 2021 arrangeras Mänskliga Rättighetsdagarna för tredje gången i Göteborg

Arrangör: Independent Living Institute och projektet – Artikel 19 som verktyg

Vem:

Internship in Independent Living Center in Stockholm, 2021, Mabel Giraldo

Giraldo, Mabel.  2021.  Internship in Independent Living Center in Stockholm, 2021, Mabel Giraldo.
English

Mabel Giraldo
University of Bergamo, Italy

October-November 2021

Mabel GiraldoMy name is Mabel Giraldo. I'm a PhD and research fellow at University of Bergamo in Italy, Department of Human and Social Sciences.

From October 11th to November 14th 2021, I was hosted by the Stockholm University at the Department of Special Education as visiting researcher, related to “Outgoing Visiting Fellowship” (grant) under the “STaRs Program (Supporting Talented Researchers) - action 2, 2020” of University of Bergamo.

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