Institute for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, I.P.

As part of Portugal's participation in the Ibero-American Program for Disability (PID), represented by the Institute for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, I.P. (IDIPD), the new edition of the training action 'Access to Justice for Persons with Disabilities', promoted by the PID with the aim of strengthening the skills of justice professionals in the promotion and guarantee of the rights of persons with disabilities, is disseminated. This initiative aims to strengthen the skills of justice professionals in promoting access to justice for persons with disabilities by deepening knowledge of international human rights instruments and disseminating standards and best practices that contribute to more accessible, inclusive and human rights-based justice. The training is aimed at magistrates, bailiffs, lawyers, solicitors, bailiffs, conservators, notaries, senior public administration technicians and other professionals working in the legal areas of the countries participating in the Programme, including Portugal. The action will take place in asynchronous virtual mode, between September 15 and November 30, 2026, will have a total duration of 40 hours, will be taught in Spanish and in Gesto Internacional, through the educational platform of the legal publisher Tirant Lo Blanch. Registration is open until 31 August 2026. The IDiPD encourages the participation of its lawyers and other senior technicians, as well as professionals from the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security and the Ministry of Justice, considering that this action provides an opportunity to strengthen competences on the rights of persons with disabilities and to promote more accessible and inclusive justice. The full programme of the course can be consulted HERE Entries must be made through this form . For more information, interested persons can contact the organization of the course by e-mail unidad.técnica@programaiberoamericanodediscapacidad.org or through IDP website .

The National Institute of Administration (INA) promotes, between September 22 and November 19, the 10ª edition of the Human Rights Training Program for Public Administration. With the aim of promoting human rights and fundamental rights in Portuguese public services, the programme is aimed at workers and managers of the Public Administration and includes: ✔ក E-learning course, free of charge ✔ក Organised in 4 modules and 2 webinars ✔ក Total 30 hours of synchronous training ✔ក Limit of 60 participants per edition The IDiPD, I.P. will also be represented in this edition, ensuring the dynamization of a training component. Registrations and all information about the program, including the schedule, can be consulted Here .

The Institute for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, I.P., and Turismo de Portugal, I.P. decided to award the distinction "Accessible Festival" to the MEO KALORAMA 2026 Festival, promoted by LAST TOUR PORTUGAL, under the Accessible Festivals Program 2026. MEO KALORAMA 2026 will take place from 28 to 30 August at Bela Vista Park in Lisbon. More information at Accessible Festivals Program - IDiPD, I.P.

The Institute for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, IDiPD, participated in the event “LOADING – the 10.º Request for Payment is now loaded”, promoted by the Recuperar Portugal Mission Structure, which took place on 28 July at the Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon. The initiative brought together entities responsible for the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), at a time of taking stock of the results achieved and preparing the final phase of its implementation, marked by the presentation of the 10.º and last Payment Request. As part of the ‘People – Health and Social Cohesion’ panel, Sónia Esperto, President of the IDiPD Steering Board, highlighted the impact of investments financed by the RRP on promoting the quality of life of people with disabilities. During his speech, he underlined the importance of measures aimed at creating concrete responses for the autonomy of all people, improving accessibility in housing and on public roads, and ensuring participation and proximity in public services, reaffirming the Institute’s commitment to building a truly inclusive society. Throughout the event, results and projects developed in the areas of competitiveness, housing, mobility, social cohesion, climate and digital transition, culture, agriculture and forestry were presented, demonstrating the impact of the RRP’s investments on the territory and on the lives of all people. The involvement of the IDiPD strengthens its role in implementing measures that promote universal accessibility, autonomy and full participation of persons with disabilities, contributing to an empathetic and equitable society. More information, HERE .

The Institute for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, I.P. (IDiPD, I.P.) participated, as a member and national representative of Portugal in the Ibero-American Program on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (PID), in the launch session of the Ibero-American Observatory on Disability and the Labour Market, an initiative promoted by the ONCE Social Group, through the ONCE Foundation for Latin America (FOAL), in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (BID Lab), the Ibero-American Social Security Organization (OISS) and the Ibero-American Program on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (PID). The new Observatory is a regional platform aimed at strengthening the production, harmonisation and dissemination of statistical data on disability and the labour market, providing comparable information to support evidence-based public policy-making, promote the labour inclusion of persons with disabilities and strengthen cooperation between Ibero-American countries. During the session it was widely recognised that the availability of reliable, up-to-date and comparable data is an essential tool to monitor the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and to develop more effective and result-oriented public policies. Among the main stakeholders were Sabina Lobato, from the ONCE Foundation, who presented the experience of the ODISMET Observatory as a reference in monitoring labour inclusion; Jesús Martín Blanco, President of the Ibero-American Program on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (PID), who highlighted the importance of producing scientific knowledge for the definition of public policies and presented the developments of the future Ibero-American Disability Card project; Gina Magnolia Riaño Barón, Secretary-General of the Ibero-American Social Security Organisation (OISS), who addressed the challenges of social protection and labour informality; and Nadine Gasman, an expert at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), who highlighted the need to enhance the quality, harmonisation and disaggregation of statistical data to better identify inequalities and guide inclusive public policies. Topics highlighted included the international harmonisation of disability indicators, the improvement of statistical information systems, the promotion of inclusive employment, the fight against multiple discrimination – with a particular focus on women with disabilities –, the strengthening of social protection and regional cooperation, as well as the development of the future Ibero-American Disability Card, a strategic initiative of the IDP aimed at facilitating the recognition of disability status and the mobility of persons with disabilities between participating countries. The participation of IDiPD, I.P. in this event, as Portugal's national representative in the IDP, reaffirms the Institute's commitment to strengthening Ibero-American cooperation and promoting evidence-based public policies, contributing to the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and to building more inclusive societies.

As part of the celebrations of the International Year of Volunteers 2026, proclaimed by the United Nations (UN), the Institute for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, I.P. (IDiPD, I.P.), launches the publication “Persons with Disabilities as Volunteers: A Guide to More Inclusive Volunteering”. The guide is the result of a journey of collaboration with Pista Mágica, a non-governmental organization that develops training, operationalization and social inclusion activities through volunteering, started 4 years ago, on the occasion of the VolunTalento , a more inclusive volunteering project that aimed to improve access to volunteering for people with disabilities. This joint work, between the two organizations, wants to ensure the creation of a guiding tool for all people interested in promoting more inclusive volunteering programs, based on the elimination of barriers that continue to limit the participation of people with disabilities in community contexts, ensuring that capacity-building mechanisms are implemented, allowing full and active participation in society. “(…) persons with disabilities are primarily citizens and citizens with aspirations, dreams, values and willingness to participate actively in community building. [It is necessary] democratise access to volunteering for persons with disabilities, recognising volunteering as an essential tool for active citizenship, social participation and personal fulfilment.’, Diana Alves Reis, lawyer and disability rights activist, who signs the guide's foreword. Diana Alves Reis' first-person testimony matches the words of Achim Steiner, current administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, in the 2026 resolution: International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development : “Only through collective action and solidarity will we be able to gather the strength needed to tackle the challenges that affect us all”. “Persons with Disabilities as Volunteers: A Guide to More Inclusive Volunteering” reflects the commitment of the Institute for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, I.P. to promoting equality, participation and inclusion of persons with disabilities in all areas of life in society, recognising volunteering as an expression of active citizenship and a space for exercising rights. Consult the guide “Persons with Disabilities as Volunteers: A Guide to More Inclusive Volunteering’, HERE .

Between the days 7 July and 15 September 2026 (inclusive), the deadline for submission of applications to the National Programme for Financing Projects by the IDiPD, I.P., for 2027, which is intended only for Non-Governmental Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (NGDOs). As in previous years, the application process for the Funding Program will be carried out exclusively online, through a web platform made available by the Institute of Informatics, I.P., on the website of the Direct Social Security. Access to the platform is done with the NISS and NGOPD password in the Direct Social Security. Consult all the information at Funding for Projects - 2027 .

The monthly activity of the Independent Living Support Centres (CAVI), which are part of the Independent Living Support Model (MAVI), is reported to the Institute for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, I.P. (IDiPD), based on the completion of the monitoring grids by each of the institutions. According to these monitorings, in May 2026, in the 35 CAVI in operation, 1189 people financed by the Instituto da Segurança Social, I.P. (ISS) were supported. From the start of the project until 31 May 2026, a total of 6,985,828 (six million, nine hundred and eighty-five thousand, eight hundred and twenty-eight) hours were provided, of which 3,545,224 (three million, five hundred and forty-five thousand, two hundred and twenty-four) hours under the ISS, accumulated to 3,440,604 (three million, four hundred and forty thousand, six hundred and four) hours of personal assistance provided under the ESF until 30 September 2023. All in all, May 2026 saw a decrease in the number of people supported in personal assistance compared to the previous month. There has been a decrease in the number of hours of support provided, as well as in the number of personal assistants in place. A decrease in the number of PIAPs suspended, PIAPs terminated and new PIAPs concluded was observed.

The Institute for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, I.P., and Turismo de Portugal, I.P. decided to award the distinction "Accessible Festival" to AGEAS CoolJazz, promoted by Live-Experiences Unipessoal LDA, under the Accessible Festivals Program 2026. AGEAS CoolJazz will take place from 8 to 31 July 2026 at Parque Marechal Carmona, Praceta Domingos D’Avillez -Av. da República, Cascais. More information at Accessible Festivals Program - IDiPD, I.P.

Their participation is a right and a responsibility. If you are blind or have low vision, this project is for you. A new solution is being tested at Gare do Oriente to improve orientation and mobility. But this solution will only make sense if it responds to your real needs. No one better than the blind and low-sighted people themselves to assess what works. Without its validation, this solution will not be replicated in other transport interfaces. This is not just an invitation – it is a matter of citizenship. Accessibility is a right. And your participation is essential to defend it. Public resources should only be used for solutions: - that work in practice - which are validated by the persons for whom they are intended This principle is clear: “Nothing about us, without us.” By participating, you are: Defending your rights to accessibility Ensure that solutions meet your needs Contribute to these improvements reaching other locations Promoting a fairer and more inclusive society Participate. Accessibility also depends on you. TML - Transportes Metropolitanos de Lisboa invites blind and low-sighted people to experience a new accessible route at Gare do Oriente, developed to facilitate the connection between the metro station and the quays of the metropolitan rail. This route integrates guidance solutions (tactile floors and Wayfinding) designed to support more autonomous, safe and intuitive journeys in the garage space. Find out all this information and where to access the registration form for guided tours and the evaluation form HERE . Image: TML – Lisbon Metropolitan Transport