DPI Europe

DPI Europe is the European network of National Assemblies of Disabled People’s Organizations (DPO’s) who are members of the World Non Governmental Organisation Disabled People’s International founded in Singapore in 1981 It now has a network of National Assemblies in over 140 Countries.  Its Regional Development Office in Lamezia, Italy and the DPI World office in Canada support by the volunteer DPI Europe Officers and DPI Europe members.

The DPI Europe Chair is Jean Luc Simon, Chair the French National Assembly of DPI, the  « Groupement Français des Personnes Handicapées (GFPH) Paris. 

DPI Europe is a coordinated network of 31 DPI National Assemblies from 31 European countries.

The Members from the European Union created a Committee with statutes in 1992. The DPI European Union Committee (DPI/EUC) played a major role in celebrating the inaugural International Day of Disabled People (3rd December) with the first European Parliament of Disabled People, and the second Day was given to a major conference on non-discrimination in the historical city of Maastricht.  DPI Officers and Staff were amongst the leaders of the European disability movement who helped to create an Independent European Disability Forum, as a follow-up to the Helios Forum.  They also secured funding for the new organisation. 

DPI/EUC produced training materials and meetings on Human Rights, Independent Living and development and initiated the first research on bioethics & disability published in 2000 as a report entitled “Disabled People Speak on the New Genetics” 

The European Union Committee ceased to exist in 2002 to assist in the coordination of the European RDO collaboration in lobbying to obtain a UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD).

The creation of a European NGO of European citizens for the implementation of the UN Convention for the Rights of the People with Disabilities will be discussed by the next General Assembly on August 30, 2009.