In this episode, we take you to Timișoara, Romania, to meet  Roxana Damaschin-Țecu.

Roxana is an economist by education, working to support people with intellectual disabilities to get out of institutions and to have a good life included in the community.

Roxana shares her journey, beginning in 2002, working closely alongside Elisabeta Moldovan, a self-advocate and survivor of institutional abuse.

Roxana talks about the need for community-based support for people with disabilities, about her work with self-advocacy organisation Ceva de spus. About development of housing with UnLoc, and about a social enterprise OilRight providing jobs for people with disabilities while reducing environmental impact.

She also discusses the challenges and necessary steps for deinstitutionalisation in Romania, emphasising the importance of collaborative efforts between public authorities, NGOs, and community partners.

### What's in this episode

00:00 Welcome to Inclusion Europe Radio

00:38 Introducing Roxana Damaschin

01:38 Eli's Story: A Journey of Resilience

05:22 The Self-Advocacy Organization

07:19 Creating Community-Based Support Services

11:10 Social Enterprise for Inclusion and Sustainability

14:07 Challenges and Future of Deinstitutionalisation

25:32 Housing

This episode was done with co-funding by the European Union.

In this episode of Inclusion Europe Radio, Milan Šveřepa talks with Freek Spinnewijn, director of Feantsa.

Feants is an organisation working to end homelessness in Europe.

The conversation is about homelessness solutions, focusing on the principles of the 'Housing First' approach.

Freek talks about the critical role of housing in ending homelessness, explaining that solving housing issues also helps tackle related challenges such as mental health and addiction.

The discussion expands to cover EU housing strategies, the connection between homelessness and disabilities - especially in regards to deinstitutionalisation -, and the importance of pragmatism in designing social policies.

### What you'll find in the podcast

00:00 Welcome to Inclusion Europe Radio

00:35 Introducing Freek Spinnewijn and Feantsa

01:12 Understanding homelessness and housing solutions

03:34 Challenges in policy making and housing

09:34 Homelessness statistics and institutionalisation

16:54 The intersection of disability and homelessness

27:00 Advocacy and policy recommendations

34:27 Conclusion and final thoughts

In this episode of Inclusion Europe Radio, Milan talks with Theresa Shearer. Theresa is the CEO of Enable, a member of Inclusion Europe in Scotland.

Theresa talks about what it means to be a good leader in NGOs and disability organisations. Theresa explains how working together with people from different areas helps make a bigger impact. She also talks about the importance of a supportive workplace culture.

Theresa shares her personal leadership journey and the story behind Enable’s successful personal assistance (PA) model. She explains how organisations need to adjust their approach depending on the culture and country.

They also talk about the key role of self-advocates in shaping what NGOs do. Theresa speaks about challenges for women in leadership roles, and how stories can help change laws and policies.

Episode highlights:

• 01:40 Guest introduction: Theresa Shearer
• 03:12 Leading NGOs and disability organisation
• 12:58 The PA model: how it started
• 17:15 Growing the impact of NGOs
• 25:29 Self-advocacy in organisations
• 43:23 Women in leadership

00:00 Welcome and Introduction

00:36 Meet Nick Crosby: Background and Work

01:16 Understanding the National Development Team

03:25 Internships and Employment Opportunities

04:59 The Small Supports Program

12:04 Principles of Small Supports: Relationships and Joy

14:18 Real-Life Success Stories

15:48 Building a Supportive Workforce

18:59 Challenges and Practicalities

19:29 Starting the Support Process

21:52 In-Depth Person-Centered Planning

22:53 Transition Process and Housing Adaptations

24:02 Challenges in Securing Housing

24:48 Creative Housing Solutions

26:04 Community-Based Support and Property Investors

32:18 Financial Benefits of Community Support

38:01 Adapting Small Supports Across Europe

44:17 Empowering Local Champions

00:00 Welcome to Inclusion Europe Radio

00:29 Meet Peter Frelin: Disability Debrief

01:12 The Accidental Journalist

01:55 Disability Debrief: A Global Perspective

03:00 Challenges and Insights in Disability Reporting

09:24 Navigating Social Media and Community Building

14:38 The Importance of Storytelling in Advocacy

20:38 Shifting the Conversation: Advocacy on Our Terms

21:52 Challenges of Justifying Disability Worth

22:43 Employment Issues and Proving Capability

23:53 Breaking Segregation and Institutionalisation

26:02 Government Policies and Disability Rights

26:16 Global Regression in Disability Support

28:10 The Role of Disability Organisations

31:13 Funding and Sustainability Challenges

37:28 Innovative Representation and Advocacy

40:00 Concluding Thoughts and Future Conversations

The current director of Inclusion International talks about disability rights advocacy and her future role in Disability Rights Fund.

Key points discussed include the importance of self-advocacy, the progress in topics such as deinstitutionalisation and inclusive education, and the need for practical tools for policy advocacy. The discussion also highlights the shift from simple awareness to active engagement and implementation of policies. The episode further explores the significance of plain language for broader participation and the evolving leadership within the disability movement. The executive director also talks about their upcoming role with the Disability Rights Fund and its objectives. Finally, they discuss the plans and expectations for the upcoming World Congress of Inclusion International.

00:00 Introduction and welcome

00:13 Global Disability Summit insights

01:50 Challenges and achievements in advocacy

02:33 The Role of self-advocates

05:25 Future directions and leadership

12:40 Importance of clear communication

14:32 Ongoing Issues and future challenges

19:15 Development challenges and knowledge sharing

20:10 Advocacy and practical solutions

21:04 Inclusive education and government criticism

23:33 Simplifying communication and expertise

26:03 Future leadership and network investment

30:44 New role and disability rights fund

33:37 World Congress and future Plans

Hanna Solovei, Raisa Kravchenko and Olena Tsarenko are representatives of Ukrainian people with intellectual disabilities and their families. They visited Brussels to present the situation in their country, discuss how it needs to be improved, and to learn about the work being done in other countries.