Members of Inclusion Europe elected a new President, and approved 3 new Self-advocacy members at a General Assembly in Berlin, Germany.
Jeanne Nicklas-Faust was elected as President of Inclusion Europe during a General Assembly, which took place 4 June 2025 in Berlin, Germany.
Jeanne Nicklas-Faust is a mother of her daughter with intellectual disabilities. Jeanne is the director of Inclusion Europe’s member Lebenshilfe, and has been a Board member of Inclusion Europe for several years.
“I am very happy to be elected as the next president,” Jeanne Nicklas-Faust said. “Inclusion Europe is a strong network with a common goal – inclusive society and full participation for people with intellectual disabilities. I am looking forward to playing my role in this work over the coming years.”
The current President Jyrki Pinomaa will serve for another year until his term ends in 2026. Jeanne Nicklas-Faust will start her term as President then.
“Congratulations to Jeanne,” said Jyrki Pinomaa. “I know she will be a great president and will do a lot of good work when she takes over the role.”
László Bercse, the Chair of the European Platform of Self-Advocates was also the first to congratulate Jeanne on her election.
Three new members
The General Assembly also approved 3 new Self-Advocacy Members:
- National Platform of Self-Advocates, BAPID, Bulgaria
- Self-advocacy group of the Georgian Down Syndrome Association
- Átak, Iceland
The three new members become part of Inclusion Europe and of the European Platform of Self-Advocates
Annual report 2024, current work
The General Assembly aproved Annual report 2024.
Members also discussed current Inclusion Europe work and upcoming events, for example:
- Advocating for EU money to help inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities and their families
- Hear our Voices! self-advocacy conference in October 2025
Before the General Assembly, members of Inclusion Europe visited Lebenshilfe Berlin to learn about their work, and participated in workshops about topics such as legal capacity or self-advocacy.
Board co-opts new member
The Board of Inclusion Europe met on 3 June 2025 to discuss Inclusion Europe work and plans for the future.
One of the topics discussed was the situation of young families of people with intellectual disabilities – What situation do parents and siblings of children with intellectual disabilities face? This is the topic of our new project, led by Tania Damianova and Inge Volleberg.
The Board co-opted Tania Damianova as a member for the next two years. Tania Damianova has a young daughter with disabilities. Tania works as a lawyer and lives in Belgium.
The 2-day program in Berlin was hosted by Lebenshilfe, and co-funded by the European Union.