ESCIF - European Spinal Cord Injury Federation

16/08/2024

Is your wheelchair suitable?
Find out with the Wheelchair Check
Introduction of this new international screening tool
Who: Linda Valent
When: Tuesday 20th August 2pm CET
Online, Zoom link https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89504117019

25/06/2024

ESCIF Forum tomorrow 2pm CET

Join us to continue the discussions on political participation, give a short update on your questions to the speaker and further discuss the creation of a project group

See you there!

for more information visit http://www.escif.org

18/06/2024

ESCIF Forum „Political work” 26 June 2pm CET

Participants at the ESCIF Congress were asked to briefly report on the ways in which they or their associations had already pursued projects to exert political influence. It turned out that practically all member associations had already been politically active in one way or another.

The examples ranged from exerting influence to improve accessibility, the implementation of specific projects to improve e.g. the housing situation, disabled car allowance, awareness campaigning as well as the realisation of projects to improve the quality of medical care and aids (e.g. catheters).

When asked about the goals of the work, the ideas ranged from the provision and cost coverage of personal assistance, the stronger representation of people with disabilities and the establishment of specialised centres for the treatment of people with SCI.

The following activities were discussed in the plenary session as next steps:

- Full membership of the European Disability Forum (EDF) should be applied for
- A project group for political work and active participation in the EDF is to be set up

At the ESCIF Forum on 26 June, we are planning to give a short update on your questions to the speakers, further discuss the creation of a project group and the most important topics to be pursued by ESCIF.

08/06/2024

ESCIF has been awarded a White Cross from the Ukrainian government and presented by the Ukrainian organisation Agape for the support given over the last few years. Special thanks goes the Stefan Yorlev, Kevin Schultes and Albert Marti who organised the evacuation of so many people from Ukraine more information about the project can be found here https://www.protectthevulnerable.org. We are very grateful and look forward to continuing solidarity and support with our Ukrainian friends

27/05/2024

The 18th ESCIF Congress has been held in Berlin, Germany where enjoyed an informative and inspiring conference concentrated around the theme of political participation. The congress was attended by delegates from 22 European countries and highlights included a talk from Jurgen Dusel the patron of the 2024 ESCIF Congress who spoke about “Democracy needs inclusion”. We will be sharing the presentations on the website soon for your information and interest. Please join us on 26th June 2pm CET to continue the conversations and continue to drive the agenda forward;
Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87692589661?pwd=JJJwTpTGfBlVa5WwkYiagQdpM444UK.1

Meeting-ID: 876 9258 9661
Kenncode: 515639

25/04/2024

Join us at our conference in Berlin http://www.escif.org/2024-berlin/

02/04/2024

Come and join us in Berlin http://www.escif.org/2024-berlin/

29/03/2024

Please join us for the next Forum ISCoS TOOLKIT FOR STRENGTHENING AND DEVELOPING SPINAL CORD INJURY SERVICES on 2nd April 2pm CET
To join please follow this link https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84644330608...

The challenges for delivery of co-ordinated spinal cord injury (SCI) care across a continuum in low- and middle-income countries are well recognised. The ISCoS Standards Toolkit is an initiative that builds on the foundations of existing global frameworks, which will align and incorporate the new and existing WHO frameworks and tools and seeks to provide a compendium of resources to provide pragmatic guidance which enables and supports the development and strengthening of services for people sustaining and living with spinal cord injury across the globe.
The Toolkit sets out standards and guidance for a model of person-centred high-quality SCI care, covering key elements of service delivery across a continuum, including access to and distribution of services; governance and funding; resources and infrastructure; workforce composition, competency and education; service evaluation and quality improvement and research and development.

18/03/2024

We look forward to welcoming you at the next ESCIF forum on 2nd April 2pm CET

Fiona Barr who is currently developing a toolkit with the ISCoS International Spinal Cord Society https://www.iscos.org.uk/ to support countries around the world develop their rehabilitation and community services to support people with spinal cord injury. They are looking to pilot the use of the toolkit that they are developing and have already started implementing this in countries such as Malaysia. However Fiona and ISCoS are keen to partner with a Peer led organisation to support the implementation of such a toolkit in this setting. Please come along to hear about this work as well as whether your organisation would be a potential partner to have support from a globally recognised institution such as ISCoS.

To register please follow this link https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84644330608?pwd=GvqoM2NDDJqjp9a7NBg5qbwQzYfhYJ.1

The International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS, formerly IMSoP) promotes the highest standard of care in the practice of spinal cord injury for men, women and children throughout the world. Through its medical and multi disciplinary team of Professionals ISCoS endeavours to foster education, research....

15/01/2024

Don't Forget the next ESCIF Forum is tomorrow Tuesday 2pm CET, January 16th, 2024. Dawid Feder, from FAR in Poland will be speaking about Active Rehabilitation. The Active Rehabilitation approach could be adapted and a key element for reintegration in society for many countries. Please join us with the following Zoom link:

Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, confer...

14/01/2024

Registration for the Berlin Congress is now open!

http://www.escif.org/berlin-congress-registration/

The Congress will focus on 'The Politics of Participation'

The fight for the self-determined participation of people with disabilities has a long history. The development and implementation of the relevant legislation is the result of decades of efforts by activists and non-governmental organizations. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was a milestone in terms of changing attitudes towards and people with disabilities receiving the support needed for equality. On this basis, quality of life and inclusion must be further improved in order to achieve full recognition of rights and universal accessibility in all parts of Europe so that people with disabilities can be active members of society as a matter of course. At the ESCIF Congress 2024, the efforts of European SCI organizations to improve participation will be presented. An active exchange and workshops will provide important stimuli for the further political work of the ESCIF member organisations.

Come and Join us!

Congress 2024 registration Title: *Mrs.Mr.Name: *FirstLastStreet or P.O.BOX: *City: *Postal code: *Country: *Phone: *E-mail: *Invoice adress: *Invoice address: *Type of participant: *Wheelchair user: *What is width of your wheelchair? *What bathroom equipment do you need? *Other bathroom equipment:D...

11/01/2024

Congress in Berlin
Save the date for the next congress that will be in Berlin from 22nd to 25th May 2024 with the theme of ‘The Politics of Participation’. The agenda and speakers are already shaping up to be a productive, informative and engaging meeting. We hope that you will get it in your diary and begin plans to join us.

04/01/2024

Next ESCIF Forum Tuesday 2pm CET, January 16th, 2024
The first ESCIF Forum in 2024 will be presented by Dawid Feder, from FAR in Poland. FAR Poland is operating throughout the whole country. He will be speaking about Active Rehabilitation in Poland according to FARs process, which include active rehabilitation methods, sources of financing, target groups and challenges and problems. The Active Rehabilitation approach could be adapted and a key element for reintegration in society for many countries. Please join us with the following Zoom link:

Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, confer...

22/12/2023

We hope that you had a happy, healthy and productive year. This year we have had a successful and enjoyable congress in Thessaloniki, Greece and have been working on delivering the next congress in Berlin that will concentrate on political lobbying. The strategy for the future direction of ESCIF has also been a focus for us and we were delighted to have so many of you join us at the Feedback workshop to hear your thoughts. Have a wonderful festive period and we look forward to working with you in 2024.

30/11/2023

We had 18 people come to give feedback about the ESCIF draft Strategy. If you would like a copy of the draft and would like to share your ideas about the future of ESCIF please email us at [email protected]

21/11/2023

Our Vice President Mirjam has been in Lošinj, Croatia giving a presentation about ESCIF and personal assistance programmes.

21/10/2023

The ESCIF board very much hope that you will be able to join us, we would like to get your feedback about the ESCIF Draft Strategy on 31st October 1.30 - 3pm CET. We would really value your input on the future direction of ESCIF and our new Mission and Vision statement

Please contact us if you would like a copy of the Draft Strategy to review it with your organisation and discuss if there are any changes you would like to make. The workshop will be professionally moderated, and we would very much appreciate your participation.

Please register to the forum with the link below. After registration you will automatically get the link for your participation.
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIodeGgqz8pE9zhipbU24ljQU8Lv9p4Yd6-

If you are unable to attend, please send us any written feedback prior to the 28th October to [email protected]

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Workshop about new ESCIF strategy. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.

16/09/2023

We are very proud that our secretary Albert Marti has been honoured for his achievements by the Swiss Paraplegic association. The following link has a video where you can hear about his extraordinary story https://www.paraplegie.ch/sps/de/aktuell/besondere-auszeichnung-fuer-zwei-engagierte-persoenlichkeiten/

05/09/2023

World Spinal Cord Injury Day is held every year on the 5th of September with the intention of increasing awareness for persons with a spinal cord injury (SCI). This day can be used to raise awareness of the importance of rehabilitation, community services, and research for people with SCI. You can also use this day to raise awareness within your country of the needs of your SCI community.

31/07/2023

We have a new ESCIF member HANDIKOS from Kosovo https://handi-kos.org/en/.

HANDIKOS is a Kosovar non-governmental organization of people and for people with disabilities, which works in: prevention of disability, promotion, providing of social services and in recognition and full participation of people with disabilities in our society. Our organization was first established in 1983 and is now the most widespread organization in Kosovo. HANDIKOS is a major partner of governmental institutions in drafting laws and policies, policy implementation and promotion and fulfilment of rights. We actively participate in institutional mechanisms, such as the National Council for People with Disabilities and Parliamentary Committees. HANDIKOS protects and advances the position of People with Disabilities through advocacy, either as the sole organisation or in cooperation with other local and international organisations.

24/07/2023

New ESCIF board member Tiina Siivonen (Finland)

We welcome Tina Siivonen from Finland as a new board member. Tina works for the Finnish paralympic committee as a sports coordinator. Tina was already back in 2006 involved when ESCIF was founded in Nottwil. Tina's motivation to work with ESCIF is if we don’t take care of our things, who will? The board is looking forward to fruitful cooperation.

The board members including Lucy Robinson the President from UK, Mirjam Kanalec from Slovenia who will remain as Vice president, Bojana Gladovic from Serbia, and Milan Kašiak from Slovakia look forward to a year of fruitful production. Albert Marti will continue to support the board as secretary.

23/06/2023

Our new president is Lucy Robinson from England. She will be working over the next year on the ESCIF strategy that we will present at the next Congress in Berlin. We would love input from our ESCIF members about the direction our ESCIF going forward, if you would like to be part of this please get in touch

16/06/2023

The ESCIF Congress provides an excellent place for European consumer organisations to network and make connections that can enable us to become stronger, better connected and able to deliver informed services to people with spinal cord injury across Europe.