A European Network of women with disabilities!

2^nd – 4^th May 2007 in Berlin, Germany

Organized by: Association Weibernetz in cooperation with Disabled Peoples´ International (DPI) and International Training Advance Research

The importance of politics on European level is growing. Therefore networking of women with disabilities /chronically illnesses and their organisations is more and more important to ensure their needs and interests are included.

2007 is the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All. There are 60 million women with disabilities in Europe. They don’t yet have equal opportunities to participate in the community. This needs to change! Cooperation between women with disabilities from all European countries is more and more important. There already are networking of women with disabilities for example in the European Disability Forum (EDF), the European Women´s Lobby (EWL) and Disabled Peoples` International (DPI). There also are networks of women with disabilities in some European countries. We want to bring together all these existing networks and built a European Network of women with disabilities.

But there also will be time to have fun together and get to know each other. Let´s celebrate the power of women with disabilities during a dinner and a cultural evening!

Let´s work together fighting for the interests of European women with disabilities! Let´s be powerful for a better live of women with disabilities/chronically illnesses.

We welcome women with and without disabilities from all European countries supporting a European Network of women with disabilities to our conference.

Program

2^nd May 2007

9:00 a.m.
Registration

10:00 a.m.
opening

Ulrike Jährig
Board Association Weibernetz

10:15 a.m.
opening words

Ursula von der Leyen (enquired)
Federal minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth

Dinah Radtke
Vicechair of Disabled Peoples` International

Carlotta Besozzi (enquired)
Director of European Disability Forum (EDF)

Karin Evers-Meyer
Federal Government Commissioner for Matters relating to Disabled Persons

11:15 a.m.
Opening Speeches

• The situation of disabled women in Europe an how a network could contribute
  Kicki Nordström, Sweden
• The Importance of the UN-Convention for women with disabilities in Europe
  Lydia la Rivière Zijdel, Netherlands
• DAPHNE-Programs against sexual violence and their implications for women with disabilities
  Rita Barbuto, Italy

1:00 p.m.
lunch

3:00 p.m.
Working Groups

A1 Overview: networks for women with disabilities in European countries
workshop leader: Anneli Joneken, Sweden

A2 Sexual violence against women with disabilities
workshop leader: Aiha Zemp, Switzerland

A3 Women with disabilities and assistance/care
workshop leader: Aglaia Katsagianni, Greece

A4 Women with disabilities in the labour market
workshop leader: Elisabeth Szollosi, Hungary

A5 Motherhood of women with disabilities
workshop leader: Kerstin Blochberger, Germany

A6 Prenatal Diagnostics
workshop leader: Swantje Köbsell, Germany
A7 Sexuality of women with disabilities
workshop leader: Ann Van den Buys, Belgium (enquired)

6:30 p.m.
End of the workshops

7:30 p.m.
Dinner with program (vocalist b-key)

3^rd May

9:30 a.m.
opening

10:00 a.m.
Working Groups to build up a European network

B1 Goals, work on contents and networking
workshop leader: Carme Riu, Spain

B2 Structure of the network
workshop leader: Lydia la Rivière Zijdel, Netherlands

B3 Cooperation with women with learning difficulties
workshop leader: Petra Groß, Germany

B4 Demands on the politic of disabled women
workshop leader: Dinah Radtke, Germany

1:00 p.m.
lunch

3:00 p.m.
Presentation and discussion of the workshops

6:00 p.m.
End of the session

7:00 p.m.
Dinner

4^th May

9:30 a.m.
opening

10:00 a.m.
Foundation of the European Network with Resolution and if necessary election of the speakers

1:00 p.m.
end of the conference
lunch

Information