Earlier this month, the Zero Project – an organisation dedicated to promoting innovative practices for the full implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) – announced the winners of their 2023 awards. Spotlighting the field of  Independent Living and Political Participation, and ICT, we are proud to share that among the 71 awardees from 38 different countries were three EASPD members, Beit Issie Shapiro, Shekulo Tov and Support Girona, winning four awards combined!

In the Zero Project’s own words, the Zero Project Awardees are a “testimony to impactful, innovative, and scalable solutions that have removed barriers for persons with disabilities all around the world”.

Based in Israel, Beit Issie Shapiro’s ‘Self and collective advocacy and leadership development programme’, which supported persons with intellectual disabilities in becoming self-advocates in politics, was the project that caught Zero Project’s eye.

Shekulo Tov made their mark with the Zero Project 2023 Awards with their 'SAME Programme', which worked on social and recreational activities for persons with disabilities and their families.

Taking two awards back to their base in Spain is Support Girona. In their 2023 conference, the Zero Project will champion two of their projects, both of which empower persons with psychosocial disabilities. Support Girona’s ‘Open Space’ project focused on a facility supporting the social integration of persons with psychosocial disabilities, and their ‘Top House Housing Commission’ project honed in on people-centred housing services for such persons.

At the core of organisations like Beit Issie Shapiro and Support Girona is the ambition to achieve a truly equitable and equal world, where the UN CRPD is achieved in full. A small part of the UN CRPD’s mission and vision is recognising “the importance of international cooperation and its promotion.” It is therefore important to celebrate and spotlight organisations and projects that have paved the way for further progress and innovation within the disability sector across the globe. It is necessary to see how far we have come.

Well done to Beit Issie Shapiro, Shekulo Tov, and Support Girona, and all the awardees and nominees, for all the inspiring work they do to create future where there are zero barriers.

The 71 awardees will receive their Zero Project Award at the Zero Project Conference 2023 in Vienna, Austria.

To read more about the Zero Project Conference please visit their webpage.