Towards Turin 2025: EASPD’s Vision for Inclusive Support and Empowered Families

We’re excited to share our interview with EASPD, a European network that brings together thousands of disability support services. With Rachel Vaughan, Head of Operations, we talked about how EASPD started, what drives their work today, and their vision for building more inclusive societies. We also look ahead to the 2025 Conference in Turin, a key event on empowering families and supporting self-determination at every stage of life.

Interview by Rachel Vaughan, Head of Operations at EASPD

‍What does EASPD do? What is its history?

EASPD is the leading voice of disability services across Europe. We represent over 20,000 services in 50 different countries, working to promote human rights and equal opportunities for persons with disabilities through effective, high-quality support. 

EASPD’s journey began in 1994 with a 2,500 km road trip to Portugal to attend a conference on the transition from education to employment for persons with disabilities. The trip sparked a drive to create a community of disability support services that could exchange knowledge, strengthen cooperation and provide a unified voice to ensure the needs of the sector are heard by European policymakers. 

Today, EASPD brings together more than 200 members, all committed to advancing the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) through inclusive, rights-based support. 

Our work is structured around four core areas:

• Influencing policy development
• Driving innovation
• Promoting knowledge exchange
• Building a strong community of support organisations

How can someone become a member, and what are the differences between members and observers?

Our members work across Europe and beyond to provide support to people with disabilities to enjoy every aspect of their lives. We are always happy to welcome new organisations into our diverse and dynamic network of disability support providers.

Within the organisation, we have three membership categories: Full Members, Candidate Observers, Approved Observers. 

Organisations providing services to people with disabilities, or regional or national networks of services for persons with disabilities within the Council of Europe, may join EASPD as a Full Member with unrestricted access to all our services. These services include the chance to influence policy, access high-quality training, receive support in developing projects, and connect with innovative organisations working towards the same goals.

For those organisations wanting to explore EASPD before committing to full membership, we offer a one-year free Candidate Observer status. This allows limited access to our services while getting to know our network better.

EASPD recognises that creating inclusive societies requires collaboration beyond disability service providers alone. We also value learning not only from those across Europe, but also internationally, adding to the richness of our exchanges.  As a result, organisations that share EASPD’s vision but do not provide services to persons with disabilities within a Council of Europe country are welcome to gain access to our network as Approved Observers.

Let’s talk about the October 2025 conference:
• When and where will it take place?

We are excited that our upcoming conference will be held in Turin, on 20-21 October. Together with our local partner, Fondazione Paideia, we’ll bring together over 300 local and international participants to showcase how disability services can adapt to the evolving support needs of people with disabilities and their families at every stage of life. 

• What will be the main topics of the conference?

Titled ‘Empowering families, enabling self-determination: Rethinking support at every life stage,' our conference will:

• Address how disability services can strengthen collaboration with people with disabilities and their families to promote self-determination and well-being at every stage of life.
• Explore how disability services can adapt to the changing needs of people with disabilities and their caregivers, with particular attention to key life transitions.
• Identify how family policies across Europe shape caregiving responsibilities.

• Where can the full program be consulted?

You can find out more about our full conference programme, including panel discussions, workshops and networking dinners via our conference website here.