Validity had the honour of hosting Ivana Jankovic, a passionate young disabled activist, for a week as part of the Youth Leadership Programme organised by the European Network on Independent Living. Joining us from her come country Montenegro, Ivana has been actively involved in the disability rights movement since her early youth, with a focus on improving the status of persons with disabilities. Her particular interests include independent living and women’s rights.
Prior to her visit, Ivana expressed her motivation, stating, “Through my involvement in various organisations, I noticed that there is not enough discussion about the issues faced by people with mental disabilities. This was one of the reasons I decided to join Validity, where my aim is to gain new knowledge about integrating this population into the social life of the community.”
Throughout her stay in Budapest, Ivana engaged in a wide range activities at Validity and met with several colleagues. She learnt about our strategic litigation and ongoing cases across Europe, provided insights into our current projects, and learned about how Validity’s access to justice projects, supported by the EU, contribute to Validity’s strategic objectives. Ivana actively participated in a project meeting for ENABLE, where discussions centred around creating an equal treatment bench book for criminal justice professionals. Additionally, she took part in the 9th Hungarian Disability Studies Conference, a collaboration between Validity and the Bárczi Faculty for Special Education at the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), where she connected with fellow activists.
During her in Budapest, Ivana made significant contributions to the DIS-CONNECTED project, a project that aims to prevent and address violence against women and children with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities. Her research and reporting on gender-sensitive methods for monitoring institutions and community-based services made a great contribution to the project’s objectives.
Reflecting on her time with Validity, Ivana said:
“My experience has been fantastic. I gained new experience and got acquainted with the work of the organisation. I’m particularly interested in two projects: one is DIS-CONNECTED, which is about monitoring institutions accommodating people with mental disabilities, and this will have a special focus on women with disabilities. The other project is ENABLE, working to strengthen procedures for individuals with mental disabilities who have committed criminal acts. The most important thing I gained from the programme is new friendships: I feel as if Validity is my own organisation.”
Validity wishes to thank Ivana for her week-long engagement and we look forward to future collaboration. Ivana’s visit has also inspired Validity to apply as a host organisation for the European Solidarity Corps, with the hope that we can welcome more young volunteers with disabilities in the future, enriching our work with their expertise and experiences.