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A Big Thank You to ENIL to Finish My Fundraising Campaign
CONTINUE READING: A Big Thank You to ENIL to Finish My Fundraising CampaignI wanted to give a heartfelt thank you to ENIL, the European Network on Independent Living, before finishing my official fundraising campaign for them today (Thursday, August 29, 2024). It has been a huge honor and pleasure to support ENIL as part of my ride, and working with ENIL has been perhaps the most personally…
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Reflections on How the Philosophy of Independent Living is Connected to My Ride
CONTINUE READING: Reflections on How the Philosophy of Independent Living is Connected to My RideIn honor of the final days of my official fundraising campaign for the European Network on Independent Living (ENIL), I wanted to share some personal reflections I’ve had about how my journey is connected with the ideals and principles of independent living. Through partnering with and riding for ENIL, I’ve learned so much about the…
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Personal Story of Rita Crespo Fernandez: Holding Politicians Accountable and Fighting for her Brother’s Rights and Freedoms
CONTINUE READING: Personal Story of Rita Crespo Fernandez: Holding Politicians Accountable and Fighting for her Brother’s Rights and Freedoms“It shows how ableist our society really is that it’s not obvious that everyone deserves to live independently… we would all be outraged if they would put people that were not disabled into institutions… for us it’s such a huge thing our independence, our lives, our livelihoods, where we live, who we live with… but…
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Personal Story of Jesper Mathiesen: Social Activist, Promoter of Inclusive Travel, and Strong-Willed Freedom Fighter
CONTINUE READING: Personal Story of Jesper Mathiesen: Social Activist, Promoter of Inclusive Travel, and Strong-Willed Freedom Fighter“Independent Living means a lot to me of course because without personal assistance I was not able to work and meet my friends and live in my own home and so on… it’s very important to me to have independent living.” Meet Jesper Mathiesen, member consultant for LOBPA, Denmark’s largest non-profit personal assistance providers and…
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Personal Story of Emma Åstrand: Fiery Youthful Activism, Empowerment Overcoming Ableism, and Finding Community through the Pandemic
CONTINUE READING: Personal Story of Emma Åstrand: Fiery Youthful Activism, Empowerment Overcoming Ableism, and Finding Community through the Pandemic“I’ve always had this, this disability identity of sorts… even if I was the only disabled child in school, I always had the idea that I have the same rights as everybody else.” Meet Emma Åstrand, the International Coordinator for STIL, founders of independent living in Sweden, and providers of not-for-profit personal assistance. I met…
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Tour de Denmark: A Tale of Flat Tires, Windy Seas, and Hardy New Friends
CONTINUE READING: Tour de Denmark: A Tale of Flat Tires, Windy Seas, and Hardy New FriendsI arrived back to Copenhagen, Denmark after my visit with my family in the USA with miraculously no flight delays, but feeling a bit jetlagged. I met up with Lene and Kim, who graciously hosted me, and had also stored my bike while I was away in the states, which was a massive help. Some…
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Personal Story of Sanni Purhonen: Poet, Disability Activist, and Brave Voice on Social Issues in Finland
CONTINUE READING: Personal Story of Sanni Purhonen: Poet, Disability Activist, and Brave Voice on Social Issues in Finland“The discussions nowadays in Finland, the organizations are worried about money, and the right-wing government, and the cuts, and the atmosphere that is not very human-rights friendly… But, this is all the more reason for us to exist I think… we have to. No one else will fight for us, we have to fight for…
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LOBPA: Resilient Defenders and Fighters for Personal Assistance and Disability Rights in Denmark
CONTINUE READING: LOBPA: Resilient Defenders and Fighters for Personal Assistance and Disability Rights in DenmarkDuring my ride through Copenhagen, I had the pleasure to meet with LOBPA, the nationwide member organization for people with disabilities who use personal assistance in Denmark. LOBPA is also a non-profit personal assistance provider for approximately 400 people with disabilities around Denmark (similar operational model to the Swedish organizations JAG and STIL that I…
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JAG, ILI, and STIL, the Champions and Uncompromising Fighters for Independent Living in Sweden
CONTINUE READING: JAG, ILI, and STIL, the Champions and Uncompromising Fighters for Independent Living in SwedenWhile in Stockholm, I had the privilege and pleasure to meet with three fantastic and hardworking organizations working for disability rights, inclusion, and independent living in Sweden. I first met with JAG, which is both a personal assistance provider as well as the interest organization representing people with intellectual disabilities in Sweden. As an interest…
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My most impactful experience of my journey so far: Resilience and everyone’s right to Dream
CONTINUE READING: My most impactful experience of my journey so far: Resilience and everyone’s right to DreamIt was a surprise when Katja arrived back to the Kynnys Turku office with her daughter Amanda at her side. I had heard about Amanda in our earlier conversation together with the Kynnys team, where we discussed the hard work Kynnys was doing fighting for disability rights in Finland with unfortunately diminishing funding, the importance…