USER-LED PERSONAL ASSISTANCE IN THE EUROPEAN UNION: A CRITICAL COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

ended

This research will compare and evaluate User-Led Personal Assistance (ULPA) schemes for disabled people across the European Union. ULPA schemes will be approached from the perspective of the Independent Living philosophy and the social model of disability in order to evaluate their potential to equalise disabled peoples participation in social life. The research will be hosted by the European Network on Independent Living, a leading advocate for ULPA in Europe. Through its membership network, the organisation will enable the researcher to seek advice and feedback from disabled people’s organisations, thus facilitating a participatory approach to research. The main outcomes will be a bespoke framework for normative evaluation of ULPA and a collection of best practices in ULPA in the European Union. These outcomes will benefit disabled people, their organisations, practitioners and policy makers working on European disability policy. Overall, the research will contribute to processes of European integration towards the building of barrier-free Europe for all.