Key speakers
Professor Deborah Lutz, a Professor of Inclusive Education at the Catholic University of Applied Sciences in Freiburg, Germany.
Her research interests are personalised support for people with intellectual disabilities, personal assistance and individualised funding arrangements, communication support for people with complex disabilities and family involvement in personalised support.
Dr Gabor Petri, a postdoctoral researcher at the Democracy Institute (Central European University) in Budapest, Hungary.
He completed his PhD at the Tizard Centre, University of Kent in Canterbury, UK (2019). Gabor has worked closely with disability rights organisations for over twenty years in Hungary and internationally. He was a member of the Board of the European Disability Forum (2013-2022), representing Mental Health Europe. His research interests include social movements, human rights, community-based services, and policies, particularly those related to intellectual disability, autism, and mental health.
Steven Allen, a lawyer and Executive Director of the Validity Foundation, a leading international non-governmental organisation that promotes the human rights of persons with disabilities through pursuing legal strategies in Europe, Africa and beyond, headquartered in Budapest, Hungary.
He is an expert in international disability rights law and jurisprudence, having led and contributed to numerous monitoring, documentation, advocacy and strategic litigation initiatives on themes including legal capacity, independent living and inclusion in the community, equality and non-discrimination, inclusive education, and freedom from torture and ill-treatment. Allen is a member of the editorial board of the “International Journal of Disability and Social Justice” and is a faculty member on the Postgraduate Diploma in International Mental Health, Law, Policy & Rights-based Services organised by the Centre for Mental Health Law and Policy, Indian Law Society. He also holds a background in community development and conflict transformation, and the rights of the child.
Programme
9.30–10.00
Registration, welcome coffee
10.00–10.10
Opening of the seminar and welcome of participants
10.10–12.00
Disability Politics
- Dr Gabor Petri (Central European University, Hungary) “‘But what can we do under these circumstances?’ – Disability movement strategies under democratic erosion in Central and Eastern Europe”.
- Steven Allen (Validity Foundation, Hungary) “Strategic litigation and raising the alarm on disability rights violations in restricted environments: Experiences of the Validity Foundation”.
- dr Krzysztof Kurowski (Polish Disability Forum; Assocation Independent Living Institute, Poland) “Independent living: Bending ideas and tug-of-war”.
Moderation: Magdalena Kocejko, PhD (SGH)
12.00–12.30
Coffee break
12.30–14.20
Disability policy
- Professor Deborah Lutz (Catholic University of Applied Sciences, Freiburg, Germany) „Supporting the Self-Determination of People with Complex Disabilities through support relationships: A German perspective on personal assistance”.
- Professor Jakub Niedbalski (University of Łódź, Poland); Zbigniew Głąb, PhD (University of Łódź) “Independent living of people with intellectual disability in Poland – from personal and community perspectives”.
- Katarzyna Bierzanowska (Inicjatywa Pełnoprawna, Poland); Prof. Agnieszka Wołowicz, (University of Warsaw, Poland); Marta Jurczyk, PhD (University of Gdansk, Poland); Angelika Greniuk (University of Warsaw, Poland) “Violence against women with disabilities in Poland in the context of the right to independent living”.
Moderation: Andrzej Klimczuk, PhD (SGH)
14.20–14.30
Final conclusion and closing remarks
14.30–15.00
Lunch
Registration
Applications should be submitted via a registration form by October 17, 2025.
If you have any questions, please contact Magdalena Kocejko, PhD, e-mail: magdalena.kocejko@sgh.waw.pl
The event is organised in a space accessible to persons with reduced mobility.
Financed by the Minister of Science and Higher Education under the “Regional Excellence Initiative” Programme.
SGH, al. Niepodległości 128, building C, auditorium II
Department of Social Policy (SGH), Office for Accessibility and Support for People with Disabilities (SGH), Polish Forum of Persons with Disabilities