Bente Skansgård: Remembering Manuel Lobato

Thursday, 02 July 2009 Last Updated ( Friday, 03 July 2009 ) Manuel Lobato died suddenly on June 24th. The tragedy was a car accident. He was on his way to enjoy his holidays in the south of Spain where he was raised (and he loved that area from the bottom of his heart). Manuel was a true disability activist. The Independent Living movement started in Spain in the early 90s, and Manuel was an important ideologist from the beginning. Together with Javier Romanac and other disability activists, he travelled around Spain and the rest of Europe to talk about the advantages of the Social Model philosophy for equal opportunities, civil and human rights, anti-discrimination and self-directed personal assistance. He wanted the Social Model instead of the Medical Model. The Medical Model stands for the discrimination, isolation and oppression of disabled people, but it is still dominant in all countries because of powerful professionals and their organisations who have a strong interest in this model.

When did Manuel enter the European political scene?

He was elected to the ENIL board in Southampton, UK in 2003, just after the movement got started in Spain. Manuel contributed so much in this first meeting because he was so dedicated and creative. He was strong in all political discussions both in his mother country and abroad. He knew from his own life experience, that the Medical Model is very limiting on disabled peoples lives. He was not lucky enough to have personal assistance to the degree that he was completely independent from his parents first, then his wife's assistance. He lived independently in periods of his life with assistance: enough to survive, but not enough to feel safe and satisfied.

What was the most important contribution from Manuel?

I know that his political energy was pretty important for ENIL. He was a good role model because he was fighting in his own life to become independent. In all the meetings, seminars and conferences he attended he was a strong representative for the Social Model, and he himself fought to be there and at the same time was fighting for personal assistance. And he was the main person behind the cooperation with the Valencian regional government in Spain. This cooperation has so far been the strongest attempt in ENIL to establish local action groups. It is not yet a success, but we think there are very positive activities going on in the area right now.

What do you think will be Manuel Lobatos political monument?

Maybe his fight for self-directed personal assistance will be in many peoples memory for a long time. There was a legal case fought through Parliament in Manuel's active life. This law was not at all how Manuel & his colleagues wanted it to be – rather the opposite, it was called a Law on Dependence – but anyway it covered personal assistance to a certain degree. It was not an individual rights law, but came with a personal fight with the authorities to open up new possibilities.