In this episode, we take you to Timișoara, Romania, to meet Roxana Damaschin-Țecu.
Roxana is an economist by education, working to support people with intellectual disabilities to get out of institutions and to have a good life included in the community.
Roxana shares her journey, beginning in 2002, working closely alongside Elisabeta Moldovan, a self-advocate and survivor of institutional abuse.
Roxana talks about the need for community-based support for people with disabilities, about her work with self-advocacy organisation Ceva de spus. About development of housing with UnLoc, and about a social enterprise OilRight providing jobs for people with disabilities while reducing environmental impact.
She also discusses the challenges and necessary steps for deinstitutionalisation in Romania, emphasising the importance of collaborative efforts between public authorities, NGOs, and community partners.
### What's in this episode
00:00 Welcome to Inclusion Europe Radio
00:38 Introducing Roxana Damaschin
01:38 Eli's Story: A Journey of Resilience
05:22 The Self-Advocacy Organization
07:19 Creating Community-Based Support Services
11:10 Social Enterprise for Inclusion and Sustainability
14:07 Challenges and Future of Deinstitutionalisation
25:32 Housing
This episode was done with co-funding by the European Union.