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Dear friends and colleagues,

Welcome to the first issue of the Together for Rights campaign newsletter. The campaign is an initiative by the Directorate for Employment, Social Affairs, and Inclusion of the European Commission to promote the rights of persons with disabilities in Europe and beyond.

In this newsletter, you will be able to read the latest news about the campaign. We aim to provide inspiration and links to materials to use in your communications. Please share it with your friends and colleagues who might be interested and encourage them to join the mailing list.

Do you have questions or suggestions? We love to hear from you. Please write to us at newsletter@togetherforrights.eu

Persons with disabilities continue to face barriers and multiple forms of discrimination. The Together for Rights campaign aims to lift these barriers and support persons with disabilities claim their rights and live as equals.

To introduce the Together for Rights campaign, Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli met one of our Champions, Belgian artist Sarah Talbi, in Brussels. They talked about what the EU is doing to achieve a Union of Equality for all and what the initiative means to Sarah.

Click on the link below to watch the video on the campaign website. On the website, you will find the video in accessible format in 24 different languages.

WATCH THE VIDEO

In this section, we share our ‘best of’ social media content. Our campaign toolkit offers ideas, images and suggested social media posts in your language. In each issue, we will share new content. Click on the link below to access the toolkit on the website. Feel free to use these materials to help spread the word in your country!

VIEW THE TOOLKIT

Despite progress in many areas, persons with disabilities still face considerable barriers in access to healthcare, education, employment, leisure activities and participation in political life.

EU data, provided by Eurostat, show that more than 87 million citizens in the European Union have a disability, and more than half of them feel discriminated against.

The majority of them say they can’t meet unexpected expenses, and only half are employed, compared to 75 percent of people with no disability.

• 26 October 2022: EASPD’s 2022 Autumn Knowledge Café event talks about students with disabilities, and their quality of life Read more here
• 25 November 2022: The European Commission announces the winners of the Access City Award 2023. Read more here

EURACTIV: Overcoming the obstacles in employment for persons with disabilities

This piece by Euractiv underlines the barriers for an inclusive workforce in several EU countries and what should be done to overcome them.

Read more here

EURONEWS: The Italian who breaks barriers in the fashion industry

The inspiring story of Emilia Torcini, a fashion designer with infantile cerebral palsy, who paves the way for a more inclusive fashion industry.

Read more here

We are excited to introduce the first champions who endorse the Together for Rights campaign! You can read more about them and their inspiring stories on the website. Make sure to follow them on their social media accounts.

Sarah Talbi, Belgium

Sarah is an artist, a mom, and a content creator with a disability. She is passionate about art, languages, and creating videos on social media.
Read more here

Rasmus Dissing Nielsen, Denmark

Rasmus is a Danish disability advocate and traveller in Copenhagen. He works in media and advocates better media representation of people with disabilities. Read more here

Benedetta De Luca, Italy

Benedetta is a fashion influencer. Through her social channels she wants to revolutionise the collective imagination linked to disability, beauty and fashion. Read more here

Victoria Modesta, Latvia

• We will shine a light on the need for inclusive education and work opportunities
  
• New pictures and social media posts for you
• Do you have suggestions for articles to include in the ‘We Read’ section? Send your suggestions by writing to us at newsletter@togetherforrights.eu