Larnaca is ready for the annual meeting of the European intellectual disability movement

PRESS RELEASE: Larnaca, 11 May 2011

The Annual congress of Inclusion Europe, well-known as Europe in Action, will be officially opened tomorrow in the Cypriot town of Larnaca under the title: Family Action for the Inclusion of People with Intellectual Disabilities in Society.

Self-advocates, family members, disability experts, professionals and activists from 30 countries of Europe will discuss the role of families in supporting the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in society during this two and a half-day conference. The relevance of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for families will also be closely examined.

57 speakers from all over Europe give a strong promise of enriching exchange of ideas. The conference counts on the presence of the leader of the European Disability Forum Yannis Vardakastanis, Minister of Labour and Social Insurance of Cyprus Soteroulla Charalambous, Head of Unit for the rights of people with disabilities in the European Commission Johan Ten Guezendam and the Members of the European Parliament Antigoni Papadopoulou and Takis Hadjigeorgiou. People with intellectual disabilities and their relatives will have a particularly strong say during the conference.

The event is organised in cooperation with the Pancyprian Parents Association for People with Mental Handicap and the Committee for the Protection of the Rights of People with Mental Handicap in Cyprus.

A detailed program of the conference is available at the conference website:
www.europeinaction.org.

For more information about the event, please, contact:
Silvana Enculescu
Communications Officer
Inclusion Europe
E-mail: s.enculescu@inclusion-europe.org

About:

Inclusion Europe (IE) is the European voice and representation of over 70 member organisations of people with intellectual disabilities and their families. Founded in 1988, Inclusion Europe has an almost 20-year track record of successful operation and defending the rights of its constituency.