EASPD is the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities and represents over 15.000 support services for persons with disabilities across Europe
On 1st July EASPD and support service providers in the disability field called for inclusive investment in rural areas to face the post COVID-19 recovery.
On 25 June 2020, EASPD and the entire social services sector came together at European level to call the European Union to strengthen recognition, urgency and resilience in social services during the COVID-19 pandemic and the recovery.
EASPD’s webinar of 17th June addressed the needs of disability services in non-EU Member States. The COVID-19 pandemic has had detrimental effects on non-EU member States, particularly in the Balkans and in the countries of the Eastern Partnership, where the traditionally weaker social care systems have been put under threat.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, countires need to urgently develop a coherent legal framework that will allow these services to support children and families also during times of crisis, based on the family-centered model, with provisions for (re-)training staff. The EU needs to include ECI in its future Child Guarantee
On 3rd June 2020 the European Commission organised an online helpdesk on support to social services to respond to COVID-19 crisis. The helpdesk focused on bridging the gap between the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative (CRII & CRII+) and the funding needs of social services due to COVID-19. The outcome was clear: CRII can be used to fund the emergency funding needs of social services due to COVID-19, but access to these funds is needed now, in order to enable services to respond to the reality of COVID-19.
As schools begin to open under the threat of a resurgence of COVID-19, it is crucial that authorities and schools ensure the continued education of their students, including those with disabilities, by building the capacities of teachers, learners, parents and support service providers to utilize the opportunities of digital learning tools.
Arts and cultural participation in all their forms are central to a person’s well-being and are often crucial to the support provided to persons with disabilities.
As services begin to re-open, the European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) and its partners request that the European Commission continues to take urgent steps to promote the safe provision of support and social services to the millions of people who need them.
On 4th-5th May EASPD and LADPAT co-hosted the online conference "Road to Employment for Persons with Disabilities” where they called on the European Union and Member States for greater support, to help those furthest away from the labour market find meaningful work.
On the 4th May, the European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) and its partner LADAPT revealed the winners of this year’s Employment for All Awards, in the framework of their conference “The Road to Employment for Persons with Disabilities”.
