Institute for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The Institute for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (IDiPD) is organising the 2nd Youth Meeting “Being Cool , to be included!”. After the success of the 1st Meeting, held in 2025, the Institute reinvigorates this initiative, promoting the participation of children and young people, stimulating the sharing of their experiences, doing justice to the aspirational "Nothing about us, without us". The event will take place on May 25, at the Basic School of the Cross of Pau (Seixal), starting at 9:30 am. This meeting is part of IDiPD's mission to promote the rights of people with disabilities, providing a space for dialogue with children and young people, who are studying, attending social responses or working.   Participation is free upon registration, available HERE . Book now on your calendar, we count on you! See the program below. 09:00 - Reception (accreditation) 09:30 – Welcome Musical Moment (AETL - Grouping of Land Schools of Larus) 09:45 – Opening José Patrício – Director of the Lands of Larus School Group Clara Marques Mendes - Secretary of State for Social Action and Inclusion Representative of the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (tbc) 10:15 – Inclusion in school Moderation: Ana Nascimento Martim Reis – AETL Lourenço Oriola – Póvoa de Santa Iria School Group Lucinda dos Ramos Moreno – “APCAS – Associação de Paralisia Cerebral de Almada e Seixal” Debate 11:05 – Inclusive break Cion coffee-break 11:20 – Grab Opportunities: Study and Work Moderation: Telma Teixeira Madaíl, student at the School Group of Monte da Lua, Sintra Daniel Pinto – AFID Foundation Difference Miguel Correia – AlmaSã Rita Patricio – AETL Debate 12:10 – Inclusive Projects and Initiatives Moderation: Pedro Almeida, student at Escola do Pinhal Novo and belonging to the ‘Associação Bengala Mágica’ Gonçalo Pinto – UniversAutista Joana Silveira – Higher and Inclusive Education Young to confirm Debate 13:00 – Conclusions of the Meeting Francisco Machado - Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities - UNL Young to confirm Alycia Fortes and Vanessa Sami – AETL 13:30 - Lunch 2.30 p.m. - Cool Afternoon – Connect! Diogo Grilo – DJ Set Amora Secondary Band – AETL (tbc) (Program subject to last minute changes).

The Institute for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (IDiPD) publishes the list of winners of the Alert School! Competition 2025/2026. In this edition, 48 applications were submitted, distributed in the three categories of the competition: 15 in Category 1, 16 in Category 2 and 17 in Category 3. The applications involved 45 schools from 14 districts of the mainland and the autonomous regions of the Azores and Madeira, with the participation of 2,281 students and 267 teachers. Nine national prizes were awarded, three for each category of the competition. The increase in the number of applications, as well as the participation of pupils and teachers, highlights the involvement of the educational community in promoting a fairer and more inclusive society based on the values of democracy, respect for diversity and the defence of human rights. The full list of award-winning schools can be found HERE .

The Institute for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, I.P. (IDiPD, I.P.), provides the updated edition of the Practical Guide - Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Portugal, an essential information, guidance and support tool that brings together, in a single document, practical content on rights, benefits and responses in the different areas of life, proving essential for persons with disabilities, families, technicians and all people who are interested in the subject. In the message accompanying the publication, the Secretary of State for Social Action and Inclusion, Clara Marques Mendes, underlines the importance of access to clear, understandable and accessible information as a fundamental condition for the full exercise of rights and for the effective inclusion of persons with disabilities. Produced in 2019 with the contribution of several public administration entities, within their respective areas of competence, the Guide aims to contribute to the affirmation of citizenship and the promotion of equal opportunities, combating stereotypes and situations of discrimination, through the systematization of information in a single consultation tool, consisting of five parts: General information on cross-cutting rights and tools for their development; rights and guidelines for action at various stages of life; Social protection, social responses and tax benefits; topics related to housing, mobility and social participation; Useful contacts and services. The Practical Guide - Disability Law in Portugal can be consulted HERE .

The IDiPD Project Finance Programme for 2026 covered a total of 159 NGOPDs who registered 266 projects on the application platform. After completion of the work of the Evaluation Panel and the approval act of the Governing Board of 26 February 2026, the final list of amounts allocated to projects was published on 27 February 2026. In this list, 243 projects were approved for financing with an overall investment of €2 050 000.00, which represents an increase of 36.66% compared to the previous year. Similar to the trend observed over the last few years, most of the approved projects are in the thematic area of artistic, sporting, playful and cultural participation (156), representing 60.08 % of the projects and 48.60% of the total funding. For the areas in which the projects are developed, the following table shows the number of projects and the amount allocated to each of the areas: Number of projects approved and amount involved per thematic area Thematic areas Number of projects Funded amount A – Innovative projects aiming at the inclusion of persons with disabilities 62 (25,51%) €805,925.62 (39.31%) B – Awareness-raising campaigns and actions 19 (7,82%) €113 042.68 (5.51%) C – Artistic, sporting, playful and cultural participation 146 (60,08%) €996,339.91 (48.60%) D – Digital and technological accessibility 16 (6,58%) €134,691.79 (15.5%) Total 243 2,050,000,00€

The Government approved the ‑lei decree Decree-Law No º 65/2026 of 5 March It creates the free ticket for persons with disabilities accompanying them in performances and cultural facilities managed by public authorities. The measure aims to promote cultural inclusion and accessibility, ensuring that no one is prevented from participating in cultural life by economic or practical barriers. Free of charge applies to museums, monuments, palaces, interpretative centres and performance venues of an artistic nature located in continental territory, provided that they are managed by the Public Administration, by entities of the corporate public sector or by public foundations. According to the diploma, each person with a disability is entitled to a free ticket for one accompanying person per session, provided that the disability is duly proven. The accompanying person’s ticket is non-transferable and is only valid when issued at the same time as the disabled person’s own ticket, for the same date and time. Proof of disability is made ‑se, in the case of residents in Portugal, through the Multipurpose Medical Disability Certificate, with a degree of disability equal to or greater than 60%. For foreign nationals, equivalent medical documentation is accepted. The law also obliges cultural promoters to adapt ticketing systems, ensuring the registration and control of these tickets, compliance with data protection rules and the availability of the free ticket in all sales channels, physical and digital, with accessibility and usability criteria equivalent to other tickets. The Inspectorate-General for Cultural Activities (IGAC), in liaison with the Institute for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (formerly the National Institute for Rehabilitation), will be responsible for monitoring the measure and producing an annual report on its implementation, including the number of tickets issued and the impact on cultural accessibility. Entities covered have one year to adapt their IT systems, with a transitional regime allowing temporarily the manual issuance of free tickets.