European Day of Persons With Disabilities 2018

The annual European conference on the Day of Persons with Disabilities will take place on the 3rd and 4th of December 2018. Hosted by the European Commission, in partnership with the European Disability Forum, this event is part of the EU’s wider efforts to promote the mainstreaming of disability issues and to raise awareness of the everyday challenges faced by persons with disabilities.

Politicians, high-level experts and self-advocates will be present in order to discuss the challenges, the solutions and the projects that are being prepared for improving policies for persons with disabilities.

The 2018 conference will give participants the opportunity to discuss the potential shape of the next European Disability Strategy, but also the possible ways in which it could be implemented, notably in the context of the next Multiannual Financial Framework.

In 2018 we also celebrate the European Year of Cultural Heritage and this event will be a way to ask ourselves about the accessibility of cultural heritage. What has been done so far and what does the EU plan for its citizens with disabilities so that its cultural wealth can be enjoyed on an equal basis with other citizens? How can we make sure that cultural heritage will be taken into account in the next strategy?

Cultural heritage will also be one important element of this year’s Access City Award. Ms. Marianne Thyssen, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility will hand out the three traditional awards to the most accessible European cities. To mark the European Year of Cultural Heritage, a special prize will be also awarded to two cities which have made an effort to improve access to cultural heritage. For this special occasion, Mr. Tibor Navracsics, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport will attend the ceremony, where he and Commissioner Thyssen shall hand out the special prizes together to the winning cities.

Download the draft programme

December 3, 2018

08.30 – 09.30 Registration and welcome coffee
09.30 – 10.00 Opening
10.00 – 12.30 Panel 1 – The path towards the new European Disability Strategy
12.30 – 14.00 Lunch break
14.00 – 17.00 Panel 2 – How will the next Multiannual Financial Framework contribute to the implementation of the new strategy?
17.00 End of Day 1
19.30 Dinner

December 4, 2018

08.30 – 09.00 Registration and welcome coffee
09.00 – 10.30 Panel 3 – Making cultural heritage accessible to all
10.30 – 11.00 Conclusions EDPD 2018
11.30 – 12.30 Access City Award 2018 ceremony
Ms Marianne Thyssen, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility will chair the ceremony and hand out the trophies to winning cities.
Mr. Tibor Navracsics, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport will hand out the trophies to the winning cities in the frame of access to cultural heritage.
12.30 – 14.00 Lunch

FRA EVENT (14.00 – 17.00)

Immediately after the European Day of Persons with Disabilities conference on 4 December, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) will launch the findings of its fieldwork research on drivers and barriers of deinstitutionalisation. The seminar, hosted by European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights and the European Expert Group on transition from institutional to community-based care, provides an opportunity to discuss how policymakers and practitioners can implement successful deinstitutionalisation processes. All EDPD participants are warmly invited to attend.