Quality Systems as a tool to facilitate the development of community-based services

08:30-09:30 Registration for the conference & the workshops

9:30 -10:30 Official opening (chaired by Dr. Vasilka Dimoska, PORAKA)
Mr. Xhelal Bajrami – Macedonian Minister of Labour & Social Policy
Mr. Koce Trajanov - Mayor of the City of Skopje
Mr. Jan Jařab - Regional Representative for Europe of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Mr. Thorsten Afflerbach - Head of the Division for the Integration of People with Disabilities, Social Policy Department, Directorate General of Social Cohesion, Council of Europe)
Mrs. Inmaculada Placencia Porrero - Deputy-Head of the Unit Integration of People with Disabilities, DG Employment and Social Affairs, European Commission (tbc)
Mr. Gero Stuller - Social-political Attaché and plenipotentiary Representative of the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Austrian Embassies in Zagreb and Skopje
Mr. Franz Wolfmayr - President of the EASPD

10:30-11:45 First Plenary Session (chaired by Akos Pordan, Hand in Hand Foundation)
The difficult way from institutions to community-based settings
Mr. Thorsten Afflerbach - Head of the Division for the Integration of People with Disabilities, Social Policy Department, Directorate General of Social Cohesion, Council of Europe
Mr Helmut Heinen - Chair of the European Co-ordination Forum for the Council of Europe Disability Action Plan 2006-2015 (CAHPAH)
Ms. Slobodanka Lazova Zdravkovska - Head of Unit for the Integration of persons with disabilities of the Macedonian Ministry of Labour and Social Policy
Mr. Jan Pfeiffer - Director of External Relations for the Lumos Foundation

Questions/Answers & debate

11:45-12:15 Coffee break & Marketplace

12:15-13:30 Second plenary Session (chaired by Franz Wolfmayr, EASPD)
Quality Systems strengthening specialised support services
Mrs. Andreia Moraru - Director of Alpha Transilvana Foundation (Romania)
Ms. Aleksandra Calosevic - Director of Social Innovation Fund of Serbia
Dr. Karin Astegger - Expert in Quality of Services, Lebenshilfe Salzburg (Austria)

Questions/Answers & debate

13:30-15:00 Lunch break & Marketplace

15:00-16:30 First workshop session

Deinstitutionalisation (Art. 19 UNCRPD)
The UN Convention recognizes the equal right of all persons with disabilities to live in the community, with choices equal to others, and shall take effective and appropriate measures to facilitate full enjoyment by persons with disabilities of this right and their full inclusion and participation in the community.
Chair:
Mr. Jan Pfeiffer, Director of External Relations for the Lumos Foundation (United Kingdom)
1st presentation:
Mrs. Ghizela Gherebel, service user, Pentru Voi Foundation (Romania)
Mrs. Roxana Schiopu, Coordinator of a Housing programme, Pentru Voi Foundation (Romania)
2nd Presentation:
Mr. Jim Crowe, Learning Disability Wales (Wales)

Quality Systems (Art. 26 UNCRPD)
Services provided to persons with disabilities should enable them “to attain and maintain maximum independence, full physical, mental, social and vocational ability, and full inclusion and participation in all aspects of life”, and also “support participation and inclusion in the community and all aspects of society”.
Chair:
Mr. Luk Zelderloo, Secretary General of the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (Belgium)
1st presentation:
Dr. Karin Astegger, Expert in Quality of Service, Lebenshilfe Salzburg (Austria)
2nd Presentation:
Ms. Martina Chlapkova, Manager of the Region Bruntál-Krnov-Nový Jičín, Slezská diakonie (Czech Republic)

Staff training (Art. 4 UNCRPD)
The UN Convention encourages State Parties to “promote the training of professionals and staff working with persons with disabilities in the rights recognized in this Convention so as to better provide the assistance and services guaranteed by those rights”.
Chair:
Fabrizio Fea, Vice-President of the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities
1st presentation:
Mrs. Maryiana Branzalova, Coordinator of the Human Dignity Programme, Foundation NET (Bulgaria)
2nd Presentation:
Mr. Ronald Haccou, Manager, Fontys OSO University (Netherlands)

User involvement & Needs assessment (Preamble UNCRPD, Art. 4 & 26 UNCRPD)
The UN Convention states in its preamble that “persons with disabilities should have the opportunity to be actively involved in decision-making processes about policies and programmes, including those directly concerning them”. Moreover, it recognizes that services should be based on “on the multidisciplinary assessment of individual needs and strengths”.
Chair:
Mr. Phil Madden, Vice-President of the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities
1st presentation:
Mr. Klaus Candussi, General Director of Atempo (Austria)
2nd Presentation:
Mr. Jelke van der Valle, Psychological centre Centar Val (Croatia)

Networking
Networking is a transversal challenge for service providers for persons with disabilities. It is a key for enabling them to advocate their specific needs and difficulties, in order to reach the capacity to provide services, which fully respect and foster the spirit and letter of the UN Convention.
Chair:
Franz Wolfmayr, President of the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (Austria)
1st presentation:
Mr. Georgi Georgiev, President of the National Alliance for Social Responsibility (Bulgaria)
2nd Presentation:
Mrs. Diana Chiriacescu, Regional Coordinator for Disability Services, Handicap International Regional Office for South East Europe (Romania)
3rd Presentation:
Mrs. Diane Serneels, Sector Coordinator, Vlaams Welzijnsverbond VZW (Belgium)

16:30-17:00 Coffee break & Marketplace

17:00-18:00 Third Plenary Session (chaired by Prof. Dr. Vladimir Trajkovski, Macedonian Scientific Society for Autism)
Presentation of conclusions of each workshop
Debate & Conclusions of the day

18:00-19:30 Meeting of the Interest Group on Independent Living
Meeting of the Interest Group on ICT and Assistive Technologies

19:30 Departure for the dinner offered by the Ministry of Labour & Social Policy

Award Ceremony to acknowledge a life achievement for the disability sector in Europe

Friday 8 October

Reaching the availability of services and accessibility of Society

08:30-09:30 Registration for the conference & the workshops

09:30-09:45 Recap Day 1 - Introduction of the Day 2 (by Lidija Krstevska Dojcinovska, Open the Windows)

09:45-11:00 Fourth Plenary Session (chaired by Luk Zelderloo, EASPD)
Availability of support services for persons with disabilities across Europe
Mrs. Eleonora Pancevska-Nikolovska - Head of department for social child and health welfare, City of Skopje, Public Affairs Sector
Mr. Vlado Krstovski – Social Worker, Republic centre for support of persons with intellectual disabilities PORAKA
Mr. John Dolan - CEO of the Disability Federation Ireland
Mr. John Patrick Clarke - Executive Committee member of the European Disability Forum

11:00-11:30 Coffee break & Marketplace

11:30-12:45 Fifth plenary Session (chaired by Lidija Krstevska Dojcinovska, Open the Windows)
Achieving accessibility & e-accessibility of Society
Mr. Vladimir Lazovski - Program Director, Open the Windows
Mr. Steve Barnard – Director of Information Strategy Hft (United Kingdom)
Mrs. Inmaculada Placencia Porrero - Deputy-Head of the Unit for the integration of Persons with disabilities (DG Employment & Social Affairs, European Commission) (tbc)

12:45-14:00 Lunch break & Marketplace

14:00-15:15 Second workshop session

Accessibility of Information & Society (Art. 9 UNCRPD)
In order for them to be able to “live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life”, people with disabilities shall be granted “access, on an equal basis with others, to the physical environment, to transportation, to information and communications, […] and to other facilities and services open or provided to the public, both in urban and in rural areas. These measures […] shall include the identification and elimination of obstacles and barriers to accessibility”. The reality is too often very far from these objectives.
Chair:
Mr. Philippe Belseur, ENVITER Network
1st presentation:
Mr. Phil Madden, Vice-President of the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities
2nd Presentation:
Ms. Sanja Tarczay, President of the Association of deaf and blind people “DODIR” (Croatia)

Education (Art. 24 UNCRPD)
The UN Convention strongly supports and promotes inclusive education, in order to achieve the full development of each individual’s potential “without discrimination and on the basis of equal opportunity”.
Chair:
Dr. Vasilka Dimoska, Program Manager, Republic centre for support of persons with intellectual disabilities PORAKA

1st presentation:
Mrs. Helen Guinan, Cope Foundation (Ireland)
2nd Presentation:
Ms Merita Poni, Disability expert in the field of social policy and human rights for people with disabilities (Albania)

Employment (Art. 27 UNCRPD)
Persons with disabilities have the right to work, “on an equal basis with others”. This means the “right to the opportunity to gain a living by work freely chosen or accepted in a labour market and work environment that is open, inclusive and accessible to persons with disabilities”.
Chair:
Mrs. Andreia Moraru, Director of Alpha Transilvana Foundation (Romania)
1st presentation:
Mr. Chiel Kamp, Secretary General of the World Association for Supported Employment
2nd Presentation:
Mr. Vincent Borg, Ministry of Education, Employment & the Family (Malta)

Design for All (Art. 2, Art. 4 UNCRPD)
In its Article 4, the UN Convention emphasize the responsibility of State Parties to “undertake or promote research and development of universally designed goods, services, equipment and facilities, as defined in article 2 […], which should require the minimum possible adaptation and the least cost to meet the specific needs of a person with disabilities, to promote their availability and use, and to promote universal design in the development of standards and guidelines”.
Chair:
Prof. Dr. Vladimir Trajkovski, President of the Macedonian Scientific Society for Autism
1st presentation:
Mrs. Mieke Broeders, General Director of the Accessibility Bureau of Hasselt (Belgium)
2nd Presentation:
MSc Mirjana Dobranovic, President of the Association for promoting equal opportunity – APEO (Croatia)
Doc.mr.sc. Sanja Bencetić, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Architecture, School of Design (Croatia)

E-Inclusion (Art. 4, Art. 9 UNCRPD)
Persons with disabilities should be granted “the availability and use of new technologies, including information and communications technologies, mobility aids, devices and assistive technologies”.
Chair:
Mrs. Inmaculada Placencia Porrero, Deputy-Head of the Unit Integration of People with Disabilities, DG EMPL, European Commission (tbc)
1st presentation:
Mr. Andrew Lisley, Deputy Director & Head of Service Delivery, ACE Centre (UK)
2nd Presentation:
Mrs. Radmila Stojkovska, Project Coordinator, Open the Windows

15:15-15:45 Coffee break & Marketplace

15:45-17:00 Sixth Plenary Session (chaired by Vasilka Dimoska, PORAKA
Presentation of conclusions of each workshop
Panel Discussion with:
Mr. Thorsten Afflerbach - Head of the Division for the Integration of People with Disabilities, Social Policy Department, Directorate General of Social Cohesion, Council of Europe)
Ms. Slobodanka Lazova Zdravkovska - Head of Unit for the Integration of persons with disabilities of the Macedonian Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (tbc)
Ms. Bistra Valchanova - Policy officer, DG Employment & Social Affairs,
European Commission
Franz Wolfmayr - President of the EASPD
Conclusions of the Conference & Closing Ceremony

17:30-19:30 EASPD Board Meeting

19:45 Departure for a cocktail offered by the City of Skopje and the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer protection of the Republic of Austria, in the Museum of the City of Skopje

Saturday 9 October

EASPD events

9:00-11:00 EASPD Standing Committees
SC on Education
SC on Employment
Policy Impact Group
SC on Enlargement

11:00-11:30 Coffee Break

11:30-13:00 EASPD General Assembly