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Today's Featured Article
| Appeal for your help and support |
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Tuesday, March 18 2008 @ 04:18 PM CET
Contributed by: bepa
Views: 132
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Ljubljana, 19th February 2008
Dear friends!
We are sending you this appeal for your help and support. We are YHD- Association for theory and culture of handicap and as non-governmental organization we run programme Independent living of disabled for more than 11 years now and within that programme we provide personal assistance for disabled persons. There are 103 users of personal assistance on national level at the moment in our programme and we employ 95 personal assistants. From 8 coordinators of personal assistance that are employed on the programme there are 5 also users of personal assistance. Programme is financed by Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs - for salaries of the coordinators of personal assistance, by Employment Service of Slovenia - for subventions for employment of personal assistants trough Active Employment Policy Programme for long-term unemployed persons, by some Municipalities, user’s donations and Foundation for the Financing of Disability and Humanitarian Organizations in the Republic of Slovenia (Lottery money).
From the beginning of the programme our goal was, beside providing personal assistance to as many disabled people as possible, also promotion of independent living, pointing out the discrimination of disabled people and it’s prevention, we actively strive for the right to personal assistance of every disabled person in Slovenia and to guarantee a long-lasting source of financing. In this frame we were active in introduction, promotion and spreading the awareness of the idea, principles and values of independent living in broader community, we were also giving initiatives and proposals of different recommendations, acts and programmes on the field of social care, human rights and ensuring equality. Even though our efforts and activities were proven to be a good practice and were successfully evaluated, we didn’t succeed in implementing the results on system and legislation level, despite the declarative directives and recommendations of EU politics. As it is shown from the European study Deinstitutionalisation and community living – outcomes and costs, our government was not answering any of the researches questions and provided no data about community services, it is arguing for deinstitutionalisation only on declarative level, but in practice it is still financing institutions and their modernization and extension. Programmes and community services, especially the ones that provide independent and active living, are partially financed by the government but left to uncertainty of momentary politics and are cut off from programme priorities.
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| Open Letter to the Government, Members of National Assembly Competent Institutions and Policy Ma |
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Sunday, February 17 2008 @ 11:31 AM CET
Contributed by: Anonymous
Views: 98
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Ljubljana January 30 2008
We are addressing this letter to a wider political audience and the general public on purpose because our requests and plights to solve our problems are usually passed from one institution to another and are usually left unresolved. Nobody replies to our letters and everyone washes their hands over our issues, saying that they are not authorized to deal with them. Just before the end of the year we sent a letter to the members of the National Assembly (parliament), one of the many letters that was ignored. We sent a report titled “Deinstitutionalisation and Community Living – Outcomes and Costs”, financed by the European Commission (EC) and another appeal to the Decision of the distribution FIHO (Foundation for Financing Invalid and Humanitarian Organizations) funds, and yet again, no reply, because everybody is used to distributing the FIHO funds based on sympathies and favouritism. The member of the National Assembly Barbara Žgajner-Tavš was the only one who asked the Minister of Family Labour and Social Affairs, Mrs. Cotman to do something about it, but her appeal was met with silence. What else can we expect based on the years of experience that we have with dealing with that particular ministry? We also sent a letter to the President of the Republic of Slovenia, however he has not replied to this day.
Actually, this is old news to us and with all the absurdities that took place in the National Assembly last fall when an act was amended in such a way that FIHO has even more power than ever before few things can surprise us. The Act gave way to privileged groups, elitism, and opaque distribution of earmarked funds. We didn’t have to wait long to see the functionaries of the disability organisations at FIHO to (ab)use their power that they hold in the bodies of the foundation. Not only was this year’s distribution of funds questionable to say the least, the enclosed disclaimer was, as it later turned out, misleading. All of us who dared to appeal to the decision of distribution of the funds for the year 2008 were punished by losing the associated monthly payment until the National Assembly approves the appeal procedure. The procedure may take a long time and until then we must make monthly payments to the 91 personal assistants that we employ. Without a quick resolution of the issue at hand we are facing the dismantling of our programme and consequently deprivation of 103 of our users and 99 unemployed persons. Let us remind you that the FIHO funds allocated to YHD for the year 2008 is less than we require for the normal functioning of our programme. This is the reason why we appealed because we were well aware that the priorities of financing and appropriate destination of the funds are not being taken into consideration.
For six years we have been writing proposals and initiatives and amendments to the acts and laws concerning the foundation. We have also proposed numerous systemic solutions that would regulate the field of social care on the long run and ensure independent living, deinstitutionalisation, empowerment of an individual who should have full control over the services are implemented. Political decisions and the political will shown is nothing but outright mockery. Our arguments, dialog, and institutional and legal procedures have turned out to be a waste of time, energy and money. We are repulsed with everything that has taken place and is allowed to happen. It seems that the results of one’s work mean nothing in this country and bear no importance at all. All that counts is to be on the right side, to be corrupt, to be ready to do anything, to be cunning, to use all methods of pressure and extortion, but of course you need the resources for lobbying and the legal machinery that clears the possible complaints or makes use of legal exhaustion. The most productive profession in Slovenia is a profession of a disabled person.
The already mentioned report of the EC is very telling. The part of the report that describes Slovenia by a researcher at the University of Siegen (Germany) notes in the introduction that in spite the many appeals to Ministry of Work, Family and Social Affairs, the National Education Institute and Ministry of Health she received no reply from either of these institutions. Her main source of information about Slovenia was thus a report titled “Rights of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities; Accessibility to Education and Employment by Prof. Darja Zaviršek that she prepared with the support of the Open Society Institute and EUMAP (EU Monitoring and Advocacy Programme). The EC report supports the development of community services and independent living of the disabled at the highest level possible and cites only two positive examples: the Silva Foundation and the YHD Association.
This is tragic given that Government Council for Persons with Disabilities published a special publication in which it aims to discredit us and settle account with our association (with no consequences or accepting responsibility for their actions up to this point). What is especially tragic and pitiful is the fact that there are two bodies within the framework of the Ministry of Work, Family and Social Affairs: the Directorate for the Disabled and last but not least the Committee on Labour, the Family Social Policy and Disability that do not seem to be competent enough to offer answers to the new challenges brought about by the new concepts in the field of social, invalid and health care, and above all human rights and equality.
What else can we do to preserve our existence?
We need to somehow force you to make things right.
Just so we are clear about the institutions that we have in mind in the “you” in the sentence above:
The National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia
The Government of the Republic of Slovenia
Ministry of Work, Family and Social Affairs
Commission for Petitions, Human Rights and Equal Opportunities
Committee on Labour, the Family Social Policy and Disability
Elena Pečarič - president
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| To Members of National Assembly |
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Tuesday, January 15 2008 @ 02:33 PM CET
Contributed by: Katra
Views: 138
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Ljubljana, December 2007
To Members of National Assembly,
In the beginning of the New Year we would like to present you a DVD made in transnational UFO partnership, financed by the EQUAL initiative and coordinated by our association. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqSHnju71Pc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11ur6GF_z_g&feature=user
The films on this DVD show empowerment and independent living of the handicapped people. We wish to be citizens with full rights, responsibilities and obligations. We do not wish to live in special institutions no matter how well furnished and nice they may seem to be. We want to work and make money and not be discriminated against. We do not want to enter buildings at the back entrances. We do not wish to be dealt with in special rubrics and only at certain places. We do not want to be patronized, sweet-talked, pitied, or receive special treatment and empty promises about how we may get equal opportunities and human rights somewhere in the future.
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| Letter to EDF |
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Tuesday, January 15 2008 @ 02:31 PM CET
Contributed by: Katra
Views: 157
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European Disability Forum
EDF Board Members
EDF Secreariat
Rue du Commerce 39-41
B-1000 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32-2-282.46.00
Fax: +32-2-282.46.09
E-mail: info@edf-feph.org
Ljubljana, 3rd of July 2007
Dear Sir/Madame,
we are writing to inform you of exacerbated conditions in the field of care for disabled persons in Slovenia. We would like to stress the fact that an EDF representative for Slovenia, Mr Šuštaršič, does not represent all the representative organisations of persons with disabilities nor does he represent interests of disabled individuals. Let us enumerate some of the facts which support our assertions:
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| European Disability Forum |
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Tuesday, January 15 2008 @ 01:35 PM CET
Contributed by: Anonymous
Views: 117
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European Disability Forum
EDF Board Members
EDF Secreariat
Rue du Commerce 39-41
B-1000 Brussels, Belgium
Ljubljana, 1 of Dec 2007
Dear Sir or Madam,
We need some input from you concerning the 1 Million 4 Disability petition. We would like to know whether you are aware of the fact that two petitions were signed in Slovenia; the one that the EDF drew up and another one drawn up by NSIOS. Furthermore, we would like to know whether you are familiar with its content and whether you authorised the use of the EDF logo on it. One of the signatories of both petitions in Slovenia later noticed that the two petitions were not the same and brought an action before the court on suspicion of fraud. We would appreciate if you could clear the matter up for us. If you have no affiliation with NSIOS's petition, we hope that you will take action against such manipulations. NSIOS does not represent all disabled persons in Slovenia and even if it did, such misuse of people's trust is counterproductive and does not contribute to equality and independent living.
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| response to EDF letter |
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Tuesday, January 15 2008 @ 01:25 PM CET
Contributed by: Anonymous
Views: 136
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European Disability Forum
EDF Board Members
EDF Secreariat
Rue du Commerce 39-41
B-1000 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32-2-282.46.00
Fax: +32-2-282.46.09
E-mail: info@edf-feph.org
Ljubljana, 12 of Dec 2007
Dear Sir or Madam,
This is my response to your letter where you replied to my observation that NSIOS misused the EDF petition and its goals and purpose, as well as the EDF to promote their own interests which first and foremost hurt disabled individuals. Older disability organizations based on the medical model therefore still hold a political and financial monopoly over the disability services. I am surprised and sad to hear that you do not find this controversial since it is in fact an outright manipulation and an attempt to eliminate and destroy organizations that were founded on different principles in the early nineties: the values like the right to independent living, equality, the right to choose, and fight against all forms of discrimination.
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| Dear friends! |
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Wednesday, December 26 2007 @ 04:41 PM CET
Contributed by: Admin
Views: 164
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In the comming year,
we wish you all the best,
but we also know,
if we want wishes to come true,
it's on us to do the most
and never rest.
YHD team
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| Paid Traineeships for people with a disability |
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Monday, June 11 2007 @ 04:25 PM CEST
Contributed by: Katra
Views: 291
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The European Parliament is offering paid traineeships to people with a disability, as a positive action measure aimed at facilitating the integration of disabled people in the workplace.
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| Social and ethical activities of YHD - Society for theory and culture of handicap - Socialno in |
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Monday, June 04 2007 @ 09:30 PM CEST
Contributed by: Anonymous
Views: 309
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I have read the editorial entry to the political pamphlet titled "Social and ethical activities of YHD - Society for theory and culture of handicap", signed by dr. Ivan Vivod, infuential senior in SDS (ruling Slovenian Democratic Party), who is president of the Commission for disabled people within the same party and ex-secretary in Šuštaršič's company Birografika Bori, and now I feel that we are returning back to the years before 1940.
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| To whom it may concern - about discrimination in Slovenia |
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Monday, March 12 2007 @ 09:27 PM CET
Contributed by: Anonymous
Views: 444
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Dear Sirs/Madam,
I am not frustrated about the whole situation but I personally share worries of friends of YHD and of other organisations under discriminatory system on activities by NSIOS ("non-legitimate" National council of Dissability Organizations - although law demands representation by all in reality not all organisations can participate!!!) president Mr. Sustarsic who continously attacks NGO's supporting aspirations to independent living of disabled people even in other EU countries, this time he specified Sweden.
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