DRPI Portugal

DRPI Portugal was started in October 2010, hosted by the Center for Administration and Public Policy / School of Social and Political Sciences of the Technical University of Lisbon and in partnership with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the Institute for National Rehabilitation. An advisory board, composed of six national disability organizations, representing all areas of disability was set up to ensure an ongoing dialogue with the disability community.

The main goal of DRPI Portugal in its first year of activity has been to lay down the foundations for sustainable disability rights monitoring in Portugal. To accomplish this goal, the following activities have been or will be undertaken:

• November 2010 - April 2011: Translation into Portuguese of the DRPI monitoring tools, manuals and methodologies and production of a CD for wider dissemination of the materials
• April 2011: Two focus froups held with DPOs leaders and persons with disabilities to identify key disability rights issues in Portugal
• May 2011: Organization of a mid-day conference, with the participation of DRPI international co-director Marcia Rioux, to present DRPI Portugal and the preliminary results from the focus groups
• May - July 2011: Hold three training seminars for capacity building on disability rights monitoring for members of disability organizations
• June - July 2011: Data collection involving 45 individual monitoring interviews
• August - September 2011: Analysis and discussion of outcomes with monitors and representatives of disability organizations
• October 2011: Reporting and dissemination of project results

In addition, efforts are being made to extend capacity building and monitoring activities to Portuguese-speaking countries of Africa and Brazil, notably through the Community of Portuguese Speaking States (CPLP) and the Federation of Disability Organizations of Portuguese Speaking Countries (FDLP).