How to Fight Discrimination against People with Intellectual Disability and Their Families (Dublin, Ireland)

From 27 to 29 May 2004, Inclusion Europe and namhi organised the Congress 'Europe in Action 2004 - How to Fight Discrimination against People with Intellectual Disability and their Families'.

"People with disabilities are not problems – they have rights and equally legitimate expectations. Their abilities contribute to society and to the economy. However, people with intellectual disability are to be valued not merely for their contribution to the market economy. All citizens have a right to be treated with equal respect, as established in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union." stated Pat Cox, President of the European Parliament, in its support message to the Congress.

“In Ireland, people with intellectual disability see the slow but steady progress towards faciliatation of their right to full participation and enjoyment of life in their own communities. It is ajourney towards full social inclusion, towards lives lived to the full through access to the best educational, recreational, training and employment opportunities.” wrote Mary McAleese, President of Ireland.

“Fighting discrimination remains the key challenge in ensuring the effective enjoyment of human rights by people with mental disabilities” highlighted Alvaro Gil-Robles, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, in its written address to the delegates.
Inclusion Europe and all its members fully support these statements and hope that the European Union will become more and more a place where people with intellectual disability and their families live included in their community where their rights are fully respected.