Understanding Independent Living in Sweden: An Overview

In our project Article 19 as a tool, we welcomed Alex Caputo Janhager as an intern. As a part of his internship and introduction to Sweden, he wrote a paper on the Independent living Institute and its activities, the Swedish political system and Sweden’s relation to international human rights norms. The paper is available at the end of this post.

Alex describes himself as follows. “My name is Alexander Caputo Janhager and I live in Ottawa, Canada. I am currently completing an undergraduate degree in Public Affairs and Policy Management at Carleton University with a specialization in law and security. I also serve as the youth member of the Landon Pearson Children's Rights Centre's Advisory Board at Carleton. At the beginning of May 2019, the Independent Living Institute welcomed me as an intern to work with them on the "Article 19 As a Tool" project. Over the past two months, I have enjoyed learning about ILI and disability advocacy in Sweden. In May, I produced an overview document for ILI designed to familiarize people with the organization as well as Swedish political and policy contexts. In late May and June, I conducted research for a project examining the rights of children with disabilities in Sweden. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to meet and interview so many interesting people in the disability, children's rights and advocacy communities over the past two months. This has been an enriching experience for me, both professionally and personally. I have been able to learn about ILI, connect with my Swedish heritage, and pursue my love of soccer with a local team. Looking forward to returning to Stockholm in the future!”

We are happy that Alex chose the internship with us, and look forward to publishing an article about institutionalisation of children that he is currently writing.