Published 16/12/2025
Hear Our Voices! is a big self-advocacy event.
It is a time for self-advocates to meet, talk, and make change happen!
It is organised by the European Platform of Self-Advocates (EPSA)
The first conference was organised in 2009.
More than 1,300 people have attended Hear our Voices! self-advocacy conferences since then.
Read the final report here: Final Report Hear Our Voices 2025 (PDF)
Hear Our Voices! 2025
In 2025, Hear Our Voices! was a series of events to make self-advocates visible and vocal in their countries and in Europe too.
There were 23 events in 18 countries.
1,152 people participated in these events.
🇦🇲 Armenia
“I want to know more about my rights and talk about them with others.” Vanik Grigoryan
🇦🇹 Austria
“I didn’t know what Personal Assistance was.
Andreas informed me. I now also want Personal Assistance!”
Marcel Hofbauer
🇨🇾 Cyprus
“We have the right to love and to be loved.”
🇪🇪 Estonia
“Why do I always have to prove that I have a disability?”
🇫🇮 Finland
“I want to talk about the challenges and opportunities of being a mother with an intellectual disability…” Andrea Westerlund
🇬🇪 Georgia
“We don’t ask for more than others – we only ask for what is ours.” Sesili Ghvinjilia
🇩🇪 Germany
“Use your chances to participate in meetings and don’t be afraid to speak up.”
🇬🇷 Greece
“Through self-advocacy, I’m learning to stand on my own two feet and not expect everything from others.” Chara Papatheodorou
“We all have rights, and our families need to understand this.” Giouli Raissi
🇮🇹 Italy
“I want to speak more!” Emily Bartoloni
🇮🇪 Ireland
“If you don’t agree to something, say something!”
🇱🇹 Lithuania
“What I like most about representing myself is encouraging others to represent themselves and training them. I am happy when I speak on my own behalf and others listen to me carefully and hear what I have to say. I also like to consult with others before making decisions and I really like that I can decide for myself what I want to do.”
🇵🇱 Poland
“We need to be brave and know that our opinions matter! We are the experts of our own lives. We know what support we need!” László Bercse
🇵🇹 Portugal
“Women with intellectual disabilities suffer violence and discrimination, and often nobody believes them.”
“We need safe spaces where women can talk without fear.”
🇪🇸 Spain
“We often ask ourselves how we would like to live. Living independently is a fundamental right.”
🇷🇴 Romania
“We must fight and work, because if we don’t speak up, nothing will change! Take part in as many self-advocate activities as possible! Fight for your rights when they are not respected!”
Elisabeta Moldovan
🇪🇺 Final event in Brussels
On 2 December, more than 45 self-advocates and their supporters came together in Brussels and online for the final Hear Our Voices! event of the year. Report from the event.
Read the final report here: Final Report Hear Our Voices 2025 (PDF)
See also:
- Hear Our Voices! self-advocacy conferences
- Representing people with intellectual disabilities and their families during a disability week in Brussels
- European Platform of Self-Advocates