Disability Rights, Mental Health and Active Living

The European Network of Active Living for Mental Health (ENALMH) issues this open advocacy statement as a public action and a clear commitment to advancing disability rights, mental health, and inclusive active living across Europe.

Despite formal policy commitments at the European level, persons with disabilities, particularly persons with psychosocial disabilities, continue to face structural exclusion from community life, physical activity, sport, and meaningful social participation. These barriers are not incidental; they are rooted in inaccessible environments, fragmented policies, and persistent stigma.

ENALMH asserts that mental health and active living are fundamental rights. Access to inclusive physical activity and community-based active living is inseparable from dignity, autonomy, well-being and equality. Exclusion from these spaces deepens social isolation, undermines mental health, and violates the principles of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

Our Call to Action

ENALMH calls on European and national institutions, policymakers, and stakeholders to:

  • Recognise mental health and active living as core components of disability rights;

  • Integrate inclusive physical activity into mental-health, social-inclusion, and disability policies;

  • Remove physical, institutional, and attitudinal barriers that restrict participation;

  • Invest in accessible, community-based, and rights-based active living initiatives;

  • Ensure the meaningful involvement of persons with psychosocial disabilities in decision-making.

As a European network of organisations, practitioners, researchers, and community actors, ENALMH is committed to collective advocacy, evidence-based practice, and cross-sector collaboration. This statement reflects our determination to move beyond symbolic commitments and towards accountable, rights-based action.

We will continue to engage with European institutions and civil society partners to advance inclusive policies and practices that recognise mental health and active living as essential pillars of equality and social justice in Europe.

 

Active Living is a Right. Mental Health is a Right. Inclusion is Non-Negotiable.

 

Why We Publish This Statement

ENALMH publishes this open advocacy statement to clearly articulate its position on disability rights, mental health and active living, and to strengthen its public accountability as a European network.

While mental health and disability inclusion are increasingly referenced in European strategies, they remain insufficiently implemented in practice, particularly in relation to inclusive physical activity and community participation. Persons with psychosocial disabilities continue to face systemic barriers that restrict their right to active living, social inclusion and equal participation.

Through this statement, ENALMH aims to contribute to European policy dialogue, raise awareness of structural gaps, and advocate for rights-based, community-driven approaches that integrate mental health and active living into disability policies. The statement also serves as a reference point for collaboration with institutions, civil society organisations and networks committed to advancing equality, accessibility and human rights across Europe.

Publishing this text is both an advocacy action and an invitation: an invitation to dialogue, partnership and collective responsibility for building inclusive and mentally healthy communities.