Our mission
The European Coalition for Community Living is a Europe-wide initiative working towards the social inclusion of people with disabilities by promoting the provision of comprehensive, quality community-based services as an alternative to institutionalisation.
ECCL's vision is of a society in which people with disabilities live as equal citizens, with full respect for their human rights. They must have real choices regarding where and with whom to live, choices in their daily lives and real opportunities to be independent and to actively participate in their communities.
ECCL advocates for and monitors progress towards de-institutionalisation[1] in Europe, campaigns for, and provides information on, the development of comprehensive, quality community-based services and de-institutionalisation.
ECCL uses the following definition of the term "institution":
"An institution is any place in which people who have been labelled as having a disability are isolated, segregated and/or compelled to live together. An institution is also any place in which people do not have, or are not allowed to exercise control over their lives and their day-to-day decisions. An institution is not defined merely by its size."
Why our work is important?
Across Europe, thousands of people with disabilities spend many years, or their entire lives, isolated in institutions. While the quality of life in institutions varies, all deny people with disabilities the right to live included in the community and society.
Many institutions deny people with disabilities their basic human rights. Residents of these institutions have no choice over how to live their lives and no control over decisions made about them. Others decide where and with whom they will live, how many people they will share their room with and what clothes they will wear. Others decide how their money will be spent. In these institutions residents are not allowed to have a relationship or get married. They cannot leave the institution freely and often lose any contact with their family and friends. Most have no access to education or employment and spend their days with little or nothing to do. In most cases members of the staff have neither the skills nor the knowledge to provide residents with the necessary habilitation and therapy.
People with disabilities living in institutions are often victims of serious human rights violations. Some reports have documented residents being kept in caged beds and the use of unmodified electroshock therapy. Others highlight physical and sexual abuse by the staff and other residents, degrading living facilities and the failure to provide basic needs.
Background
The need for an initiative, such as ECCL, to promote de-institutionalisation and the development of community-based alternatives was demonstrated by the findings of the Included in Society project. Based on research into institutions and community-based residential alternatives for people with disabilities in Europe, this project showed that that the problem of long-term institutional care for people with disabilities is prevalent in many European countries. The project's work included the development of a set of goals and policy recommendations for the development of quality residential services for people with disabilities and highlighted the need for long-term action against institutionalisation. The project also proposed some key principles for ‘positive change' which should underpin the development of community based services. These are: respect, choice, participation, independence and regional/local responsibility for people with disabilities.
What is community living?
In order to exercise their rights and participate fully in the society, people with disabilities need to have access to comprehensive, quality community-based services. This means living independently in the community, in small group homes or individual housing, with adequate support based on each person's individual needs. It also means having access to education and employment, as well as social and cultural life of the community. It means having choices and living with dignity.
To ensure that community-based services are provided on the basis of individual needs, people with disabilities must be involved in their development, together with other stakeholders. It is important that the planning, provision and review of community-based services are founded on the values of equal citizenship and social inclusion, as well as the principles for positive change.
How we work
ECCL is a cross-disability initiative and targets all actors involved in the process of de-institutionalisation and the development and provision of community-based alternatives - local, national and regional authorities, the European Union, disability and other non governmental organisations, service provider organisations and staff of the existing institutions.
The founding organisations of the European Coalition for Community Living are Autism Europe, the Center for Policy Studies of the Central European University, the European Disability Forum, the European Network on Independent Living, Inclusion Europe, Mental Health Europe and the Open Society Mental Health Initiative. Since January 2008, ECCL is based at the European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) and is under the strategic direction of ENIL's Board. Most of the founding organisations continue being involved in ECCL's work through the Advisory Council.
ECCL brings together a number of disability organisations, service providers, academic centres and individuals concerned with de-institutionalisation and community living. They promote the policy and mission of ECCL in their countries and have the opportunity to contribute to ECCL's work and publications, as well as make proposals for future activities.
Download the ECCL leaflet in English (922.8 KB)
Download the ECCL leaflet in French - version franςais (935 KB)
[1] We use the term "de-institutionalisation" to mean the replacement of institutions for people with disabilities with comprehensive, quality community-based services.