News Details

European Day of Independent Living

Updated : 05/05/2026

Poster with clear background. At the top, on the left, the flag of the European Union. Next to it is the logo of the Institute for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In the centre, text: “5 May: European Day for Independent Living’ and, underneath, ‘For the right to self-determination.’ In the lower half, illustration of three people on the street: one person with a guide dog, another in a wheelchair and another walking. People are on the street, in the background are stylized images of buildings. On the right, a ramp with handrail. In the footer, text: “A partnership for inclusion and autonomy.”

‑se annually a 5 May the European Day of Independent Living, a date established by the ENIL – European Network on Independent Living, with the aim of giving visibility to the demands, rights and experiences of persons with disabilities in the European area. This commemoration is a symbolic moment of mobilization and awareness, framed in a broader course in which the theme of independent living, in its various dimensions — social, economic, cultural and community — has consistently asserted ‑se European Agenda for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, influencing public policies and debates focused on autonomy, self-determination and community participation.

Personal assistance stands out ‑se as a central instrument in the realization of this right, being expressly enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, notably in its Article 19.º, which recognises the right to live independently and to be included in the community. As individualised support, personal assistance enables persons with disabilities to exercise effective control over everyday decisions and the support they need, and is an essential condition for self-determination, freedom of choice and the full exercise of citizenship.

In Portugal, these principles materialize ‑se in the Support Model for Independent Living (MAVI), consolidated as a structural response through the Ordinance No º 415/2023 of 7 December 2023, and are reinforced by Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2026‑2030, approved by Council of Ministers Resolution No º 64‑A/2026 of 31 March. This strategy assumes a Independent Living and Autonomy as central pillars of public policy, integrated into the Axis of Impact of Full Participation and Independent Living, establishing as an objective the extension of the independent living model to the entire national territory, the reinforcement of community-based personalised support and the prevention of institutionalisation. Aligned with the United Nations Convention and the European Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021‑2030, EDPD 2026‑2030 affirms‑se as a structuring commitment of the Portuguese State to an approach based on human rights, evidence and the active participation of persons with disabilities.

O Institute for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (IDiPD, IP) plays a decisive role in the implementation, coordination and monitoring of these policies, ensuring inter-ministerial coordination and the involvement of the various public and private actors. In addition to the operationalisation of the measures, the Institute has been promoting the production and dissemination of knowledge, as well as the awareness of society in general, contributing to a sustained cultural change that values the autonomy, self-determination and full participation of persons with disabilities.