Following a recent decision taken by the European Disability Forum’s (EDF) Executive Committee, two autistic self-advocates and members of Autism-Europe, Erika Becerra (from Italy) and Monique Post (from the Netherlands) are henceforth members of EDF committees for the next four years.
Erika Becerra has been reelected as member of the Youth Committee and Monique Post, member of the Dutch Autism Association (NVA) and Council of Administration member of Autism-Europe, has been elected as member of the Women’s Committee.
EDF is an independent non-governmental organisation that represents the interests of 80 million Europeans with disabilities. Autism-Europe has always played a fundamental role within EDF as a founding member and currently has also a member of the board on this organisation (Autism-Europe’s Vice president Evelyne Friedel).
EDF Youth Committee
EDF’s Youth Committee is the voice of young people with disabilities inside EDF. Its role is to ensure that EDF’s work takes into account the perspective of young people with disabilities but also to represent young people with disabilities in both EDF and external events.
The Youth Committee has good contacts with the Youth Department of the Council of Europe and regularly participate in meetings of the Council of Europe for young people. The Youth Committee has also signed Memorandum of Understanding with the European Youth Forum to insure that the voice of young people with disability is heard in the general youth movements and the Chair of the Youth Committee participates to events organised by the Youth Forum.
EDF’s Women’s Committee
EDF’s Committee on Women with Disabilities has 10 members coming from all over Europe and representing different groups of persons with disabilities. Its role is to mainstream gender in all EDF policies and documents, to raise awareness on the situation of women and girls with disabilities and to work towards the inclusion of women and girls with disabilities in society in accordance with the Madrid Declaration on women and girls with disabilities adopted in November 2008.