László Bercse, Chair of the European Platform of Self-Advocates and Vice-President of Inclusion Europe, writes in Annual Report 2025:
Dear members.
As Chair of the European Platform of Self-Advocates (EPSA) I am happy to share what we have been doing this year, and how Inclusion Europe supports self-advocates.
For me, self-advocacy means knowing my rights and responsibilities. It also means speaking up for myself and for other people with intellectual disabilities.
Self-advocacy helps us to be included in society. It helps us take part in decisions that affect our lives.
I became Chair of EPSA in 2019. Before that, I already worked with EPSA since 2017. What I like most about EPSA is that I can speak in many places in Europe.
I can talk about the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. I can tell decision-makers what support we need.
In 2025, some very good things happened.
One important activity was the Unity project. Self-advocates from many countries came together. We joined trainings and meetings. We learned from each other. We learned how to be more visible. We learned how to speak up better.
Inclusion Europe helped to make this happen. They support self-advocates with training and opportunities to meet.
We also met Mar Galcerán. She is a self-advocate and a politician in Spain. She came to our training sessions. This was very inspiring. We need more politicians with intellectual disabilities. We can learn a lot from them.
But there is still a lot to do.
People with intellectual disabilities still face many barriers.
We need:
- real jobs and fair pay
- inclusive schools and workplaces
- the right to make our own decisions
- the right to vote.
EPSA and self-advocates will keep working on these issues.
Inclusion Europe work is important for self-advocacy, supporting us to learn, speak up, and be heard.
Together, we keep working for full inclusion.
We want all people with intellectual disabilities to be heard and respected.
Read the Annual Report 2025.