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News Archive
ELSA's past highlights and accomplishments OCTOBER 2002 ELSA application for funding of an information campaign successful.As part of the European Year of People with Disabilities 2003 (EYPD 2003), ELSA was successful with a funding application for a information campaign. During the EYPD ELSA will be disseminating information of the "Year" to many audiences in particular the national stuttering associations of Europe. A stuttering awareness seminar will also take place in Strasbourg France around 22 October 2003 International Stuttering Awareness Day. ELSA's Board state that "The EYPD is about raising awareness of disabilities and it is good news that the European Commission has recognised stuttering and has chosen ELSA to raise awareness of this speech disability in 2003" "Additionally, the EYPD 2003 infrastructure that the European Commission and the other disability organisations have put in place should provide a platform for all National Stuttering Associations and ELSA to promote and advertise their work as an awareness raising tool" General Information on the European Year In May 2001 the European Commission put forward a proposal to the Council of the European Union that 2003 be designated as the European Year of Disabled People. On 03 December 2001 the Ministers of the Employment and Social Policy Council unanimously adopted the European Commission proposal to declare 2003 as the European Year of Disabled People. The Year was originally the idea of the European Disability Forum. It was proposed not just to raise awareness of disability, however important this is, but to obtain concrete objectives that would remain once the year has passed. This decision has given an opportunity to disabled people across Europe to put disability rights at the top of the agenda for Europe and the Members States. It is also hoped that the European Year will also be celebrated in the countries of the European Economic Area and the candidate countries for accession to the European Union. Thousands of activities and events will take place during the year in the different participating countries. They will be linked through a March through Europe which will start in Greece in January 2003, go through all the Member States of the European Union and will end in Italy in December 2003. Activities and events along the March at all levels in the Member States will be organised by the disability movement. The March will be supported by a campaign bus. |