The fifth European Parliament of Disabled People took place on 23 May 2023, bringing together 600 representatives of disabled people from all over Europe in the hemicycle of the European Parliament. The aim of this session of the Parliament was to discuss the role of the European Union in promoting people with disabilities.
The event marked the adoption of the Manifest of the European Disability Forum, which underlines the demand of disabled people to be fully involved in the EU political process. The manifest is made up of proposals aimed at building a more social Europe and improving accessibility and protection for people with disabilities.
Pietro Cirrincione, captain of the SS Romulea football club and member of the board of Autism Europe, 2 organisations co-partners in the Sacree project, spoke at the event! He called for inclusive disability resilience in the face of humanitarian emergencies such as the war in Ukraine. Read his speech below:
“During emergency situations, including pandemics, or climate crisis such as the recent flooding in Italy, people with disabilities are the last ones to receive support because of a value system called ableism, that considers certain typical characteristics of body and mind essential for living a life of value, every non-standard person is abandoned. Ableism comes from the medical model of disability and it is still pervasive in our society: please let’s make together a paradigm shift!
About the war in Ukraine, please support refugees with disabilities, because they also need professional support and individualised programs. Because of sensory overload, bombing is a terrible torture for people on the autism spectrum, leading to permanent trauma.
I call on all MEPs: please make every diplomatic effort to end this war, do not wait, stop the war now! When rebuilding Ukraine, the EU support must not go in segregating and inaccessible services”
To see Pietro Cirrincione’s speech, click here!
To see the whole event, click here!
Source of this article: Autism-Europe’s delegation joins the European Parliament of Persons with Disabilities 2023
