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Helena Dalli is a Commissioner at the European Commission.
She was one of the speakers at a conference
about deinstitutionalisation.
The conference was organised by the EEG.
Commissioner Helena Dalli said that institutions
are very bad
for people with intellectual disabilities.
She said that people with intellectual disabilities
have a better life
when they live independently and in a community.
Helena Dalli also said
that there will soon be a new European Disability Strategy.
Another speaker at the conference
was Elisabeta Moldovan.
Elisabeta is a self-advocate
and a member of EPSA.
She grew up in different institutions
in Romania.
At the conference, Elisabeta talked about
her experience growing up in institutions.
She said that her experiences were very bad.
She was moved from one institution
to the next.
She could not say no to this.
She needed to work for the staff
of the institutions.
And she received no money for this work.
Only some food and cigarettes.
When she did not do what the staff told her,
she was punished.
Her hair was cut off
and she was thrown into the basement.
After many years,
Elisabeta left the institutions
and started living in the community.
She says her life is better now.
Inclusion Europe’s Director Milan Šveřepa
also spoke at the conference.
Milan talked about how deinstitutionalisation
is doing good
for many people.
But many people still live in institutions.
Milan said that these are the main things
that should be done
in the next years:
– no money for institutions
– when people with intellectual disabilities move out of an institution, they should be asked about their opinion
– once they are out of an institution,
people should be able to live in a house or flat.
They should be able to see a doctor or go to the hospital
when they need it.
And they should be able to get an education.
Andriana Sukova works at the the European Commission.
She said that the EU
wants to change things for the better
for people with disabilities.
For example, through the European Pillar of Social Rights.
She said that many people need to work together
so people can move out of institutions.
At the conference, the EEG also wrote a text
about what needs to happen next.
