Autumn 2013
Newsletter of the Association for Self Advocacy
Hear Our Voices!
Issue 12
EDITORIAL Dear readers, autumn arrived and with it also came new issue of our magazine. Topic of the issue is Conference of European self-advocates. Title of the conference was Hear our voices: Citizens first!. For those who could not participate at the conference we bring main massages of self-advocates.
TOPIC OF THE ISSUE: CONFERENCE OF EUROPEAN SELF-ADVOCATES Conference of European Self-Advocates was held from 4 to 6 October 2013 in Zagreb, Croatia. Title of the conference was Hear our voices: Citizens first! Inclusion Europe, European Platform of Self-Advocates together with Association for Self Advocacy and association GONG organized the conference. It was a good opportunity for self-advocates to mark the European year of citizens.
Editor Senada Halilčević Journalists Hrvoje Forner Snježana Kanjir Fadil Špuren Nera Bajzec Gordana Huzek Assistants Sanja Hotko Ivana Poslon Hrvoj Damjan Janjušević Mladen Katanić This newsletter was supported by a grant from the Open Society Fundations and City of Zagreb.
160 self-advocates, their support persons and experts from 20 European countries participated at the conference. In the first part of the conference GONG and Association for Self Advocacy presented their project. Title of the project was Realization of the Right to vote for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities. We talked about how to include persons with intellectual disabilities in public and political life. Representative of State Electoral Committee talked about how persons with intellectual disabilities participated at the elections.
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Newsletter of the Association for Self Advocacy
Everything went fine at the elections. Persons with intellectual disabilities proved that they are capable to vote equally as others. Snje탑ana Kanjir, self-advocate from Association for Self Advocacy talked about what it means to be a member in association without right to vote. Under current Law on association person deprived of legal capacity does not have the right to vote in his or her associations. This means person cannot run for president and make important decision about association. After Snje탑ana, the representative of Ministry of Administration spoke. She spoke about the new proposal of Law on association. She said that new law proposal will enable persons deprived of legal capacity to vote equally as members who have legal capacity. Other important topic at the conference was change of the Family law. Self-advocate Ivana Gudelj talked about why legal capacity is important for her life. Person deprived of legal capacity cannot sign any contract, cannot get married or make decision about his or hers own life. In Croatia Family law defines legal capacity. Deputy of Ombudsman said that Family law should be harmonized with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Convention says that all persons must have legal capacity and the right to get support for decision making. Professor from Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Science spoke about this.
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In second part of the conference self-advocates from Europe shared their experiences in different workshops. They learned how self-advocates from different European countries live. European self-advocates sent joint messages. Main message of self-advocates to European decision makers was: „Do not read about about us, meet us in person Listen what we have to say!“ Written by Senada Halilčević
MESSAGES OF EUROPEAN SELF – ADVOCATES Second day of the conference we held workshops for self-advocates. Topics of workshops were different. Self-advocates could choose workshops on closing institutions, violance and disability, education and other topics. Most self-advocates chose workshop on community living and independent life. We also held creative worksops on video making, dance and theatre. Workshop on theatre was very interesting for self-advocates. That is why we held this workshop again in front of all participants at the closing ceremony. Self-advocates at workshops created messages which they read at plenary session. They sent messages to other self-advocates, decision-makers, families and expersts. Mesagges are: Let us live the way we want it! Do not read about us meet us in personally! Do not treat us like children!
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Newsletter of the Association for Self Advocacy
Stop investing in institutions, invest in community living! Allow us to make mistakes! We have the right on family and support! We can do anything if we want it, together we are stronger! Stop to guardianship! Do not label us, we are not disability we are experts! Written by Snje탑ana Kanjir
SELF-ADVOCATES ABOUT THE CONFERENCE At the end of the conference we talked with some of self-advocates. Self-advocates from different countries participated in interview. They all talked about their experiences from the conference. Here you can read their answers. KATARINA POLJAK I liked everything, especially the workshops. I enjoyed at every workshop. The conference was nice, nice hotel, nice room, nice food. ANKICA BOSANAC It was very nice. I liked workshop on community living the most. I have message for politicians: Help us to realize our rights! ALI TURKIJAN I liked all. I met people from foreign countries. I got out of the institution Demir Kapija and now I live in Skopje in Macedonia. I want everyone to get out from institutions and to live like other people!
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DANIJELA JOVANOVIĆ The conference was great! I will share all that I heard with self-advocates at home. I congratulate to Croatian colleagues on getting the right to vote, I would like that we also have this right. I would like that people from Belgrade live in community, to have their jobs and are not locked in institutions. IVANA GUDELJ This is very good conference, especially when politicians spoke on Friday. I had a little stage freight when I gave my speech but I am very satisfied how I did it. I am happy because other people from Europe can see us. ELISABETA MOLDOVAN I liked conference a lot because it was easy to understand and everybody had a opportunity to speak open and freely. I like workshops the most, but I cannot choose only one because I liked them all. If we unite our voices and we work together we can succeed in closing institutions. We can all live in the community. KATARINA BORAS The conference was great! I liked dance workshop the most, I learned how to participate. My message to readers is: The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart!
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Newsletter of the Association for Self Advocacy
DOLORES KLIŠKIĆ It was nice conference. I like creative writing workshop the most. Message for the end, I wish the conference is everyday! VJEKOSLAV BEŠENIĆ It was great. I liked most the topic on the independent living, sightseeing and martial arts workshop. At the beginning It was hard to cope with the room key which has shape of the card. It was not boring, I met new people from Bosnia and Macedonia and we also hang out with people from Čakovec (city in Croatia)! MAUREEN PIGGOT is president of Inclusion Europe. Maureen also shared her experience about this conference with us. She thinks that conference was very succesful. She is also glad that conference was held in Zagreb and that Association for Self Advocacy marked 10 years of its work. She pointed out that Association for Self Advocacy is strong member of EPSA. Many strong self-advocacy leaders came from Association for Self Advocacy. Association is becoming better and more successful. We still have to learn to provide support.
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Support person still sometimes speaks on behalf of self-advocate. Support is very important and necessary, but It is important that voice of support does not interfere with voice of self-advocate. At the end Maureen says that messages of self-advocates need to be send to decision makers but also to daily newspapers and magazines. Written by Fadil Ĺ puren
IF I HAD 3 WISHES Last day of the conference Ciara Lawrence-Ewans talked to self-advocates about her wishes. One of her wishes came true when she got married. Ciara wants her marriage to be happy, to have a family and to be accepted in the community where she lives. After that Ciara asked european self-advocates what are their wishes Read what they said: SHAUN WEBSTER Do not read about us, spend time with us and meet us!
MIA FARAH We are experts on intellectual disabilities!
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Newsletter of the Association for Self Advocacy
KATARINA BORAS Do not judge us by how we look. We also have the right to live!
IVANA GUDELJ Give us back legal capacity so that everybody can be equall!
ZLATO KLOPČIĆ Hear our voices, we do not want be second class citizens, enough with diplomacy and fake talk, hear us or we will get mad!
CORRINE CLERMONT When I speak French, you are put in a situation of disability because you cannot understand me. But if you are given the right tools (an interpreter, and the adequate equipment), you will able to understand me. It is the same with us for decision-making. If we are given the right tools, the right support to make decision, we can overcome our disability and make our own decision. You should not deprive us of our legal capacity.
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ELISABETA MOLDOVAN Do not give money to institutions, give it for community living.
STEVEN ROBERTSON We want real job with real salaries, to be paid for our work like everybody else.
GOOD EXAMPLES FROM EUROPE Interview with Helene Holand about life of self-advocates in Norway Helene Holand from Norway participated at the conference of European selfadvocates. Helen is a member of Inclusion Europe. She has big experience in advocacy for human rights of persons with intellectual disabilities. Helene says that in Norway there are groups of self-advocates. She sad that persons who become members of self-advocate group become more self-confident. Self-confidence means that persons knows what she wants and believes she can achieve it. That way self-advocates become more stronger in the fight for their rights and for the rights of other persons with intellectual disabilities. In Norway persons with intellectual disabilities have the right to make their own decisions. They also have the right to support when they need it.
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Newsletter of the Association for Self Advocacy
Helene says that European Union adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The most important parts of the Convention for European self-advocates are the right to live in a community and legal capacity. In Norway and other north European countries persons with intellectual disabilities have the right to vote. Organizations hold workshops on how to exercize that right. At the end Helene says that the most important rights are: right to independent living right to live in a community right to vote right to make your own decisions right to support
NEWS We have recorded new movies Within project Expanding Self-Advocacy Network in Croatia we have recorded 6 short movies. We have received money for recording these movies from Open Society Foundation. We played some of recorded movies at the conference of European self-advocates. We have recorded these movies to inform public about topics like: public campaign: Citizens in action self-advocacy self-advocacy network right to vote right to live in a community easy to read information.
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We have translated movies in English language and have published them on our web page and on Facebook social network. Book on the occasion of 10 years of Association for Self Advocacy In 10 month (in October) Association for Self Advocacy marked 10 years of its work. That is why we made a book in which we would like to present all things we have been doing and what results we have achieved. We have received money for making the book from Open Society Foundation and City of Zagreb. Although there are a lot of pictures, the book is not in easy-to-read. That is why many of you will probably need support to understand what the book is about. You can download the book free of charge on our web page. Annual general meeting of European Platform of Self Advocates was held Within Conference of European Self Advocates European Platform of Self Advocates or EPSAZABAVNIK celebrated annual general meeting. Members of steering group Senada HalilÄ?ević and Ciara Lawrence-Evans talked about past activities and plans for next year. Two new members of steering group were elected at the general meeting, Elizabeth Moldovan i Luminita Caldaras, both from Romania.
HOW SELF ADVOCATES SEE THE FUTURE OF ASSOCIATION FOR SELF ADVOCACY Association for Self Advocacy celebrated 10 years of its work What self-advocates would like to achieve in next 10 years of work, you can read here.
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Newsletter of the Association for Self Advocacy
SNJEŽANA KANJIR We need to make a brochure about the role of self-advocates. It will be the manual for self-advocates which will help us to learn how can we fight for our rights even better. We also need to record videos about self-advocates stories so that other people see what we do and get to know with our rights. We have to work on that together with self-advocates from other cities. We will need to cooperate more with other organizations too. That way we will have more success in changing the laws regarding legal capacity. SENADA HALILČEVIĆ In the future I see Association for Self Advocacy as the main advocacy organization for persons with intellectual disabilities. We will continue to work on raising social awareness about persons with intellectual disabilities to show that we have the right to participate in a society equally like everybody else. I wish that other organizations accept us as experts in making easy-to-read materials. I hope that one day a person with intellectual disability will sit in the Croatian Parliament as our representative too. We still need a room space that will be ours and big enough for holding meetings, so that we don’t have to move anymore and to pay for it. NENAD SEKUŠAK In the future we need to make a life-long learning possible for persons with intellectual disabilities too. To achieve that we need easy-to-read books and support. TOMISLAV IVAŠKOVIĆ We will continue to work on having the people to understand that we are normal people and equally worthy citizens. We will keep on fighting for the right to have a familly too.
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FADIL ŠPUREN BRACO I hope that we will have many projects. That way we will get money what will make our organization stronger, with more computers and other materials. I would like that we have even more members and to connect with self-advocates from all over the world. We have to achieve that we all have the same right to vote in our organization. ROMANA POSAVEC Association for Self Advocacy will succeed in closing down the institutions and making possible for persons with intellectual disabilities to get married like everybody else. IVO PALA Self-advocates will keep on writing for the newsletter The Voice of Self- Advocates and for brochures in easy-to-read form. I will be coming to meetings until I get old. MARKO ERCEG In the future I will be the president of the Association for Self Advocacy. HRVOJE FORNER I will continue to help self advocates on computer workshops.�
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Newsletter of the Association for Self Advocacy
ENTERTAINMENT Kino hit This autumn in Croatian cinema will play domestic movie the Cowboys. Tomislav Mršić directed the movie according to theatre play of the same name. Film lasts 90 minutes and it shows on a funny and comic way life stories of 8 people who want to make a theatre play about cowboys. Selected by Fadil Špuren and Senada Halilčević Sport Croatia played very good football in 2012. We played two very good games at the beginning of 2013. After that we played with Scotland and lost 2:0 that is a shame! Now we are in additional qualifications. We will play with Island. Our new coach Niko Kovač hopes that we will play well in additional qualifications and he promises that we will give our best to win. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Croatia –Serbia Wales – Croatia Croatia - Scotland Serbia – Croatia Croatia - Belgium Scotland – Croatia
2:0 1:2 0:1 1:1 1:1 2:0
Written by Nera Bajzec
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Quiz 1 In which city was held Conference of european self-advocates? a) in Pula
b) in Pariz
c) in Zagreb
2 Who is the Minister of Public Administration? a) Arsen Dedić
b) Arsen Bauk
c) Davorin Mlakar
b) chestnuts
c) strawberries
3 What fruits do we collect in autumn? a) watermelons
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Goga's riddle During night and day it goes, and leave its place, it does not? Clock!
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Newsletter of the Association for Self Advocacy
ADVICES CORNER QUESTION Lately I feel like I am not good enough. I would like to be pretty, make a lot of money and start a family. If I had a person that would love me, it would be much easier for me. ANSWER Dear reader, we all feel less worthy sometimes. Good news is that we can change it ourselves. One of the ways is that you take a piece of paper and write only good things about yourself. Write what you like about yourself and all of your achievements. If you cannot remember of it all by yourself, ask persons close to you. This will help you to recognize your good sides and to start loving yourself. When you start loving yourself you will be more successful, and you will attract other people with your happiness. Only then when we love ourselves, others will love us too.
CONTACT US
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