LHAC

Guide to accessible ADDIS ABABA

Silvia Balmas — Fri, 21 Oct 2016 12:37:45 GMT

The preparation of a “Guide to Accessible Ethiopia” is one of the major components of the ECDD “Promoting Accessibility in Ethiopia” project, which is a continuation of a previous project which ECDD undertook in 2008 with the support of LIGHT FOR THE WORLD Austria. The purpose of the project is to assess the accessibility of selected public buildings and services in Ethiopia for persons with disabilities, including hotels, guest houses, restaurants, shopping places, medical services, tour and travel services, museums, and recreational centers among other establishments. During this project, ECDD also organized a series of “Accessibility Information Seminars” in 12 towns in Ethiopia to inform business and building owners, architects and urban planners about accessibility standards to encourage greater attention to making accessible facilities all. In addition, ECDD undertook the modification of existing schools in selected towns to demonstrate what accessible design looks like.

STRING Project: Thematic itineraries in a Box, a new approach for accessible tourism

Silvia Balmas — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 16:12:00 GMT

The accessible itineraries developed within the EFC project the League of Accessible and Historical Cities (LHAC) project have been the basis of inspiration for a new initiative, involving some of the former members of the LHAC (Fundación ONCE, Fondazione CRT, Sozopol Foundation) and other international stakeholders (see below for the whole list).

The STRING Project (Smart Tourist Routes for Inclusive Groups) is a transnational cooperation initiative aiming at creating fully accessible itineraries in Italy (Piedmont Region), Spain (in the city of Ávila) and Bulgaria (in the city of Sozopol). The transnational cooperation between foundations, associations for people with disabilities, tour operators and travel agencies has been developing the idea of the STRING Box as an easy way to travel for tourists with specific needs. Several thematic itineraries have been created in each city and specifically dedicated to food and wine, open air activities and cultural visits.

People with disability and everyone else will soon have the possibility to buy or receive a STRING box and choose their preferred travel&itinerary combination with the advantage of having the option to contact and be helped by the tour operator staff for any specific requirements.

For more information you can also see the website: www.stringbox.eu.

Project Leader: CPD (Consulta per le Persone in Difficoltà Onlus) , (Italy)

Partners: Regione Piemonte and Fondazione CRT (Italia); EFC European Foundation Centre (Belgium), Fundación ONCE (Spain), Sozopol Foundation (Bulgaria) and other 6 Tour Operators and travel agencies specialized in accessible tourism specializzati in turismo accessibile: Akita Tour SAS (Italy), Dena Travel (Spain), Sozopol-Tour (Bulgaria), Accessible Portugal (Portugal), Weitsprung-reisen (Germany) e ChrisTravel (Denmark).

Milan (Italy) is the winner of the 2016 Access City Award

Silvia Balmas — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 08:58:37 GMT

Milan has been awarded by the European Commision the for being the most accessible city 2016. Wiesbaden (Germany), Toulouse (France), Vaasa (Finland) and Kaposvár (Hungary) were also awarded for their efforts to improve accessibility for people with disabilities and the elderly.

Please find here more information: http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=89&newsId=2410&furtherNews=yes

Contest “Piemonte For All"

Silvia Balmas — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 08:19:00 GMT

"Piemonte for All by Turismabile", is a competition organized by the Consulta per le Persone in Difficolta' (CPD), supported by the Regione Piemonte, it will start today on the 21st of September!

The initiative, that promotes actions to raise awareness with regard to disability and Turism for All, will give out three complimentary holiday packages for two people in Piemonte Region, Italy.

In order to participate, you must upload a picture about "Tourism for All" on the website www.turismabile.it/contest . All of the pictures uploaded will be published on the website, and the two participants that will receive the greatest amount of likes and shares will be be awarded as winners of the contest.

The contest is open to all +18 residents in Italy, Greece, France, Germany, Spain, and Belgium, with a physical/sensorial disabilty.

For more information about the contest, please open the PDF on the top right of this page (available both in English and Italian).

The Fifth International Congress on Tourism for All 2015

Silvia Balmas — Thu, 20 Aug 2015 15:47:00 GMT

The Once Foundation is hosting the V International Congress on Tourism for All and the VI International Congress of Design, Technology and Research Networks for All in Madrid, Spain.

The chief focus of the event which will be held from Wednesday 23 September-Friday 25 September in Madrid at the international congress.

There will be a workshop dedicated to accessibility practices in museums from 15:30-16:30. This is a great opportunity for all types of collaborators to learn about the newest innovative approaches to museum practices. The conference will cover the role of technology in supporting museum practices for people with disabilities.

Please refer to the programme agenda, which is located on the right hand side of the page to learn more about the event.

Culture and Accessibility Conference in Helsinki

Silvia Balmas — Tue, 28 Jul 2015 13:27:23 GMT

Funka and Arcadia University of Applied Sciences are hosting a conference on accessibility and culture on 12 November 2015 in Helsinki, Finland. The idea behind this conference is to share ideas between countries in strengthening the concept of making arts more accessible a reality.

During the conference good examples of accessible culture will be presented from successful measures taken in museums, libraries, and performing art venues that took place throughout the year in Sweden and Finland.

The conference is in English. Refereshments and a lunch are provided. A fee of 50 euros is required, and members participate at no charge.

The event is funded partially by the Swedish-Finnish Cultural Foundation.

Sign-ups are taking place now.

Alliance Magazine vol.16 n. 3: The First EFC operational project making headway

Silvia Balmas — Thu, 16 Jul 2015 14:24:00 GMT

Since its inception one year ago, the LHAC, the EFC's first operational project, has made signifigant strides in developing accessible tourist itinieraries in five European cities: Avila (Spain), Mulhouse (France), Lucca and Turin (Italy), and Viborg (Denmark).

Click on the right side of the page to download the article.

Europe without barriers! An inspirational story about the first ever Romanian who travelled around the world in a wheelchair

Silvia Balmas — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 08:31:00 GMT

Accessibility generates an inclusive society, and active participation is a simple pre-requisite. Vasile Stoica, the first Romanian who travelled around the world in a manual wheelchair, is now on a new mission to increase social awareness about the troubles people face when it comes to creating a barrier-free environment for people with disabilties in Romania, his home country.

With the launch of the campaign Accessible Romania in a barrier-free Europe, Vasile travelled 1700 km from Lugoj, Romania to the EU Parliament in Strasbourg where he is bound to deliver his message. His trip will commence on 30 June 2015, where he will start his voyage across seven countries: Romania, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Germany and France. He is expected to finish his marathon on the 30th of July-2nd of August.

Apart from this inspirational story, Stoica is mentioned in the reknown Guinness Book of Records for the longest distance covered in a manual wheelchair in 24 hours (132 km. in California, USA). Also, he complpeted a round-the-world trip in 1998-99 covering 36,000 km.

Stoica is one example of a success, not only in regards of traveling, but personal accomplishment and legend for all.

Apply Now for the EDF and Oracle e-Accessibility Scholarship 2015-2016

Silvia Balmas — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 08:08:00 GMT

The scholarship will be in the amount of 8.000 Euros for the 2015-2016 academic year. The award will be based on the project or research conducted during the academic year. The judges will judge base of its originality, creativity, and scienctific quality in regards to the state of art. To be eligible for the scholarship, the project must also provide a contribution by making a difference to the to e-accessible world for people of disabiltiy.

WHO CAN APPLY

To be eligible to apply, applicants must:

Be a student with a disability in the field of Computer Science, Computer Engineering, User Experience, or related field.
Be a European Union (EU) citizen and resident within the EU and enrolled at a university in the EU for the 2014-2015 academic year, including online universities based in the EU.
Enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree, or enrolled, or intend to be enrolled in, a Master's or PhD programme at a university in the EU for the 2015-2016 academic year, including online universities based in the EU.
Maintain a strong academic record.
Plan to submit a project/thesis in which the needs of persons with disabilities in terms of accessibility to ICT (e-Accessibility) are taken into consideration, and/or an innovative solution to enhance their access is proposed. For those enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree, the project must be a component of the final year programme.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applicants will be asked to submit via email:

Resume/CV.
General background information (i.e. contact information and details about your current and intended universities for the 2015-2016 school year).
Proof of disability.
Academic transcripts reached so far from your current and prior institutions (if you have earned a prior degree).
Executive summary of your project/thesis (no more than two pages) in English
Recommendation and feedback letter from an academic supervisor.
Application to be emailed to: eaccessibility.scholarship@edf-feph.org with subject line to read: EDF-Oracle Scholarship

TIMEFRAME

Open for applications: 1^ST June 2015.
Application deadline: Submit a completed application by 1 September 2015.
Jury decision: October 2015.
Successful applicant notified by 31^st October 2015.

European Disability Card to Launch in 17 EU Member States

Silvia Balmas — Fri, 10 Jul 2015 12:24:39 GMT

The European Union has pledged to allocate €1.5 million to endorse 17 Member States that will welcome the initiative to provide the EU Disability Card to prevent the lack of recognition of people’s rights to move freely with disabilities. This project will turn on its engine at the start of 2016, and will also urge other Member States to join in collaboration.

Marianne Thyssen, Commissioner of Employment, Social Affairs, Skills, and Labor Mobility stressed on June 30 at the European Parliament that everyone with a disability must be equally recognized of their full rights and benefits. It is a basic entitlement for all to move freely; and without this recognition, action must be taken to a higher scale.

In addition, this step forward will also generate greater perspectives in realizing the EU2020 goals.

STRING Project Meeting in Avila

Silvia Balmas — Mon, 06 Jul 2015 11:01:00 GMT

After the successful League of Historical and Accessible Cities project, the European Foundation Centre is now collaborating with 12 partners from 7 countries under the STRING project, with the aim to implement Smart Tourist Routes for Inclusive Groups. The second meeting of project happened in Avila on 2-3 July where the group of partners was hosted in the premises of the Municipality of Avila.

On the 2nd of July, the mayor of Avila, Jose Luis Rivas, welcomed all the representatives from the 7 participating countries who came together to discuss prospects of the STRING project, in which the European Foundation Centre’s Disability Thematic Network is involved together with some of the Foundations members of the League of Accessible and Historical cities: Fundación Once, Fondazione CRT and Sozopol Foundation respectively with the cities of Avila (Spain), Turin (Italy) and Sozopol (Bulgaria).

During the meeting, the aspect of offering accessible tourist products on the market accommodating people with disability by means of tourism packages was the highlight of the discourse. This project, lead by Consulta per le persone in difficoltá CPD, would open future doors of possibility to arising cities whose goal is to become more accessible, and would thus lead to greater tourism development. The three thematic areas around which the accessible itineraries in the cities of Avila, Turin and Sozopol will focus on are: Culinary tourism; Historical and Cultural Heritage and Outdoor Activities.

Here below you can find some more information (in Spanish):

http://avilared.com/not/15539/el-proyecto-europeo-string-de-itinerarios-accesibles-en-avila/

http://www.diariodeavila.es/noticia/Z1D063DD6-E9ED-BF6A-AF96EFD995FD8230/20150702/avila/impulsara/paquetes/turisticos/personas/discapacidad

http://www.tribunaavila.com/noticias/avila-pionera-en-destino-turistico-accesible-junto-con-turin-y-sozopol/1435834951

[1] Lead partner/coordinator: CPD - Consulta per le Persone in Difficoltà ONLUS (Italy) - Partners: Regione Piemonte (Italy); European Foundation Centre (Belgium); Fondazione CRT- Cassa di Risparmio di Torino (Italy); Fundación ONCE (Spain); Sozopol Foundation (Bulgaria); Akita Tour SAS (Italy); Dena Travel (Spain); Sozopol-Tour (Bulgaria); Accessible Portugal (Portugal); Weitsprung Reisen (Germany); ChrisTravel (Denmark)

12th UNWTO Awards Calling for Applications

Silvia Balmas — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 08:55:16 GMT

12^th UNWTO Awards Calling for Applications

The UNWTO is encouraging all of those interested to apply for the UNWTO Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism before 30 October 2015.

Since 2003, the UNWTO Awards have been seeking to highlight the valuable importance of the creation and innovation in the tourism sector and its key role within governance and society at large.

Thus far, the Awards have granted the opportunity for more than 70 scholars, visionaries, and institutions whose work has served as an inspiration for competitive and tenable tourism development and the sustainability of the mission of UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism.

The UNWTO Awards categorize tourism leadership for exemplary accomplishments in the following areas:

· UNWTO Award for Innovation in Public Policy and Governance

· UNWTO Award for Innovation in Enterprises

· UNWTO Award for Innovation in Non-Governmental Organizations

· UNWTO Award for Innovation in Research and Technology practices

Past winners showcased projects promoting domestic tourism in Peru, an undertaking for travellers to immerse in the Maasai community in Tanzania, a creative marketing project from Amsterdam and a mobile application advocating European tourism.

The winners of the 12^th UNWTO Awards will be awarded on 20 January 2016 in Madrid, Spain. The Ceremony will be partnered alongside with the Spanish tourism fair, IFEMA/FITUR. Following the event, there will be an opportunity to network, share experiences and achievements of the UNWTO Award finalists at the UNWTO Awards Symposium.

For any further questions, contact awards@unwto.org

Contacts:
UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme

Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100/ Fax: +34 91 567 8218

Applications Open for Access City Award 2016

Silvia Balmas — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 10:29:00 GMT

Applications Open for the Access City Award 2016

The European Commission is currently inviting interested organizations to engage in the sixth edition of the Access City Award 2016. This award is notably recognized for assisting cities to become more accessible for people facing disabilities and the elderly who require assistance using urban transport.

European cities will be granted the opportunity to present their active strategies and activities outlined to make accessibility attainable without barriers to physical restrictions.

Five awards will be bestowed at the annual European Day of People with Disabilities Conference in Brussels on 7 December 2015 at the European Commission. The fourth and fifth place winners will receive categorical mentions based on on city access to work and accessible smart cities categories.

Your input on this award can inspire other cities to improve their policies and measures by making this world a better place for those confronting a barrier to accessibility.

The deadline for applications is 10 September 2015, midnight Brussels time.

The selection will be divided into two stages:

1.) National level and then followed by a;

2.) European selection

More information on the rules and conditions can be found in the guidance note and participation rules. To learn more about applying click here.

To learn more about the most effective practices in 2015 and the past winning cities, the brochure published by the European Commission with concrete details of the innovative projects can serve as an insightful resource.

URBACCESS 4th edition- Paris, 10-11 March 2015, Urban solutions for all citizens

Silvia Balmas — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 15:48:00 GMT

Whether in personal or professional living contexts, URBACCESS suggests solutions for all with a particular focus on people with Disability, elderly people, and children.

URBACCESS is an opportunity for enterprises and professionals to present their innovative ideas, products and solutions to a broad audience of project holders and people invovled in decision making, inlcuding:

Park and Network managers
Built environment professionals
Engeneering officers and designers

The mission of Urbaccess is to integrate the concept of universal design for all, while contributing to sustainable development, and a participative social life for all generations.

For more information, please visit: http://www.urbaccess.fr/fr/ (in French)

ACCESSIBLE TOURISM: Innovative approaches between accessibility and heritage protection- Conference Press release

Silvia Balmas — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 14:18:00 GMT

ACCESSIBLE TOURISM: Innovative approaches between accessibility and heritage protection

05/12/2014, Brussels, Belgium

Tourism is seen as an important source of growth for the economy in Europe. Investments in this sector to improve accessibility benefit everyone in the near future and result in an improvement of the inclusion of persons with disability in society. The aim of this conference is to tackle the issue of accessible tourism dealing with the challenges of protecting the historical heritage and providing accessibility for all.

The discussion was based on the example of the League of Historical and Accessible Cities, a practical and innovative project carried out in the framework of the European Foundation Centre Consortium of Foundations on Human Rights and Disability, implemented in 6 European cities where 11 foundations are collaborating with local and national authorities, civil society, architects and experts to improve the accessibility and protect the historical heritage.

Read the press release on the following link:

http://www.efc.be/news_events/Pages/Press%20Release%20Accessible%20Tourism%20innovative%20approaches%20between%20accessibility%20and%20heritage%20protection.aspx

"ToTour4All”- Release of the cultural tourism app for people with limited mobility, visual and hearing impairments

Silvia Balmas — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 09:49:00 GMT

TURIN-February 17 marked an important date for the innovative app "ToTour4All." This exciting initiaitve is an integral part of the LHAC, a project where the EFC aims to promoting accessability of historic city centres in Europe. The new app's purpose is to be freely available and usable; even by people with limited mobility, vision and hearing. The new app, compatible on Apple and Android platforms, allows you to discover Turin through a circular route between 30 cultural points of historic and artistic destinations.

The app has a circular path (from piazza Castello and piazza Castello, representative of the historical aspects, architectural, social and daily life and designed to encourage the inclusion in full autonomy by people of disability) with three locations (Path Path District, San Carlo, Via Po) and 30 points of interest divided into 6 categories such as: shopping, churches, historical buildings and museums, archaeological sites, monuments and urban architecture.
Entering the App are the descriptive texts of interest points adapted to each disability, map navigation, audio description and video with translation in Italian sign language (LIS) and subtitles.

The initiative aims to increase and strengthen Turin as a tourist destination for all, improve the offer for tourists with special needs and strengthen the city's position as a destination accessible to specialised tour operators. If we consider that in Europe there are approximately 36 million disabled tourists (out of a total population of almost 750 million), but only 6 million actually do so. In essence, 30 million people with special needs may be interested in travelling, but for various reasons are still excluded from official tourism circuits.ToTour4All is designed to foster the development of tourism in Turin with disabilities, offering paths independently and accessible to all.

Project Smart Tourist Routes for Inclusive Groups (STRING)

Silvia Balmas — Wed, 04 Feb 2015 09:44:00 GMT

Based on the League of Historical and Accessible Cities successful experience, the EFC Disability Thematic Network together with the other partners (lead by Consulta per le Persone in Difficoltá) has received a new EU grant awarded from the Commission. STRING (Smart Tourist Routes for Inclusive Groups) is a transnational cooperation initiative to be implemented by 12 partners from 6 countries. It aims to create 9 fully accessible itineraries respectively in Italy (Piedmont Regione), Spain (Ávila) and Bulgaria (Sozopol) which will then be developed into comprehensive tourist packages.

Duration: 18 months (starting 1 October 2014)

The project will be implemented in three phases:
Design and implementation of three itineraries in Piedmont, Ávila and Sozopol,
Creation of travel packages and production of box, including the design of the leaflet, analyse pricing and marketing plan;
Launch and promotion of the packages box through coordinated marketing channels and tools.

The project aims at achieving the following objectives:

to further showcase and disseminate the experiences and itineraries realized by some of the partners in the framework of the League of Historical and Accessible Cities (LHAC);
to provide versatile, high-quality and fully accessible tourist products to all kinds of people with special access needs;
to present accessible tourist products to the customers through easily-accessible channels and in a flexible, adaptable and thus more attracting way;
to disseminate at a wider level the best practices and know-how in accessible tourism obtained by the partners as well as by other members of the LHAC;
to foster concrete cooperation among SMEs, public administrations, foundations, associations and other stakeholders to improve accessibility and contribute to a better quality of life for all.

The first meeting took place on January 22nd 2015 in Turin. See more on: http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/tourism/offer/accessible/index_en.htm

Lead partner/coordinator: CPD - Consulta per le Persone in Difficoltà ONLUS (Italy)

Partners: · Regione Piemonte (Italy); · European Foundation Centre (Belgium); · Fondazione CRT- Cassa di Risparmio di Torino (Italy); · Fundación ONCE (Spain); · Sozopol Foundation (Bulgaria); · Akita Tour SAS (Italy); · Dena Travel (Spain); · Sozopol-Tour (Bulgaria) · Accessible Portugal (Portugal); · Weitsprung Reisen (Germany); · ChrisTravel (Denmark)

Contact:

Mr. Alessandro Redavide (alessandro.redavide@cpdconsulta.it)

www.cpdconsulta.it www.turismabile.it

Accessible Tourism: The European Commission's Actions on increasing accessibility in Tourism

Silvia Balmas — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 11:13:56 GMT

Accessible tourism itineraries

The EU is co-funding projects related to the design, implementation, and marketing of accessible tourism itineraries. The main aims are to increase the travel opportunities available for people with special access needs, promote social inclusion, and improve the skills of staff in the industry. A call for proposals was launched in 2013 to give potential projects the opportunity to apply for funding. Eight projects were selected for funding.

Studies on accessible tourism

Access to the studies available on the source link

European Awards for Accessible Tourism

The Commission rewards tourism businesses who make accessibility a leading aspect of their work. For example, the European Excellence Awards for Accessible Tourism, announced in June 2014, acknowledged the efforts of private enterprises and public authorities who have made significant efforts to increase the accessibility of their services and facilities to tourists with special needs.

T-GuIDE European Conference - SAVE THE DATE 31 March 2015, Brussels

Silvia Balmas — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 15:07:01 GMT

A conference presenting the results of the T-GuIDE Lifelong Learning project.

T-GuIDE is an initiative of nine organisations supported by the European Union’s Lifelong Learning Programme, ”Leonardo Da Vinci”. The initiative addresses two of today’s major societal challenges in Europe: to increase opportunities in the job market and to increase social inclusion. The aim is to produce an EU training model and Manual for training Tourist Guides in guiding people who have learning difficulties or other intellectual impairments.The main aim of T-GuIDE is to initiate an EU-wide discussion on tourist guiding for intellectually disabled and to build a common guide for training professional Tourist Guides, in terms of common principles, methodologies and recommendations to work on social inclusion, skills implementation and new job opportunities.

Main T-GuIDE outputs include:

A discussion document on methodologies for tourist inclusion of intellectually disabled people;

Draft T-GuIDE Manual with good practices and methodologies for intellectually disabled;

Training of 18 tourist guides in the EU, using the Draft T-GuIDE Manual (test and refine);

An EU training model and T-GUIDE Manual (final version);

A framework of skills for training and skills assessment of “T-GuIDEs” at EU level;

A Trial of a Tourist Itinerary for visitors with intellectual disabilities/learning difficulties

Expected impact:

18 tourist guides trained from 8 EU countries;

200-300 tourist guides will pre-survey the T-GuIDE Model;

60.000 tourist guides and 2000 intellectually disabled reached by project dissemination;

200 non-governmental and business stakeholders in accessible tourism worldwide wil be informed about the project results;

10-15 intellectually disabled visitors will take part in the test version of a guided tourist itinerary trial.

The conference is open to:

Tourist guides
Managers, owners or staff of tourist destinations and attractions
Organisations that arrange holidays, trips or events for people with learning difficulties and/or intellectual disabilities
Families and friends of people with learning difficulties and/or intellectual disabilities.\

More infromation here

Registration form available here

Réussir l'accessibilité: Conférence en ligne ERP & Ad'AP 2015 mardi 3 février de 17 à 18 h

Silvia Balmas — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 16:05:09 GMT

Le 27 septembre, l'ordonnance n° 2014-1090 confirmait que l'échéance du 1er janvier 2015 ne serait pas tenue et que nous entrions dans l'ère de l'Ad'AP (Agenda d'Accessibilité Programmée).

Le 6 novembre, le décret n° 2014-1327 confirmait l'inutilité des diagnostics d'accessibilité et instituait le règne des ACAM (Autorisation de Construire, d'Aménager ou de Modifier un ERP).
Un premier arrêté du 8 décembre, puis un second le 15 décembre commencent à préciser les nouvelles règles qui encadrent l'Ad'AP. Nous attendons celui qui nous en donnera les règles financières.

Intervenants :

	Luc Givry, architecte DPLG, consultant expert accessibilité
	Christophe Isaac-Castiau, directeur de marchés modernisation KONE

Inscription gratuite mais nécessaire

FAQ

Francesca Casciato — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 13:35:50 GMT

This page is intended to offer brief answers to your questions about the League of Historical and Accessible Cities (LHAC).

If you have a query which is not answered below, or you would like more specific information, please check our about us page or contact us.

Partners

Silvia Balmas — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 08:56:50 GMT

Technical partner

From the very beginning of the project, the League of Historical and Accessible Cities has been supported by Vía Libre, (Grupo Fundosa, Fundación ONCE), a consultancy with more than 20 years of experience in accessibility and universal design areas, which helped the LHAC members defining a concrete action plan to be developed to make the historical cities involved accessible for all.

More specifically, Vía Libre suggested the creation of an accessible itinerary of approximately 1km in length, to be easily feasible by a person with reduced mobility. It also defined the main areas of action of the LHAC project, established a common methodology to be adopted by all members, and identified minimal requirements for an itinerary to be approved as accessible, as well as the main accessibility criteria to be considered while developing the itinerary at a local level.

Fundosa Accesibilidad S.A. is a company within ONCE Foundation´s business group, Grupo Fundosa. Through its trademark Vía Libre, it develops action plans regarding Universal Accessibility and Design For All. For over two decades it has brought forward and promoted actions in the fields of Accessibility and Design for All, edging towards the accomplishment one of the main objectives of ONCE Foundation, the elimination of physical barriers and the furtherance of Universal Accessibility in Spain.

Their team of professionals includes 200 experts and specialists - ranging from architects and engineers to occupational therapists, sociologists, Ortho-Prosthetic technicians, all the way to Braille and subtitling transcribers. Most of them are people with disability (over 80% of the company’s personnel), which entitles Vía Libre with the category of special employment center, and allows the company to bring into a project their knowledge, experience and sensitivity concerning accessibility, which is in fact their most valuable cornerstone. In addition to this, their wide range of areas of expertise enables Vía Libre to approach projects from a wider perspective on accessibility issues.

Their effort and enthusiasm generates a constant search of new solutions concerning accessibility.

Vía Libre has its main offices based on Madrid, and a total of 7 offices, work centers and shops spread throughout the major cities of Spain in addition to a strategic network of partnerships with other companies, national and international, in order to assure a wider reach of our products and services.

Find out more about Vía Libre.

Contact Us

Silvia Balmas — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 10:32:47 GMT

League of Historical and Accessible Cities Secretariat
c/o European Foundation Centre

94, rue Royale
1000 Brussels, Belgium
Tel.: +32.2.512.8938
Fax: +32.2.512.3265

Library

Ivor Ambrose — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 08:39:30 GMT

Browse the sections below to find and download working documents and reference documents.

Working documents

Francesca Casciato — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 08:05:10 GMT

This section of the LHAC Library contains working documents for the use of LHAC members and technical teams.

Please login to view these items.

Press

Nikos Vaslamatzis — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 08:05:10 GMT

Reference documents

Ivor Ambrose — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 07:41:34 GMT

This section contains reference documents from a range of sources addressing the subjects of accessibility, inclusion, cultural heritage and related issues.

Project Members

Argyro Kazaki — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:34:01 GMT

Resources

Ivor Ambrose — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:16:00 GMT

Cities

Silvia Balmas — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:15:00 GMT

Eleven foundations from five different European countries have become partners of the League of Historical and Accessible Cities. They are developing accessible routes within six cities of their choice, in order to enable people with disabilities to fully access and enjoy each city’s cultural and historical heritage.

News & Events

Argyro Kazaki — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 11:19:53 GMT

Members Area

Argyro Kazaki — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:45:53 GMT

Sitemap

Nikos Vaslamatzis — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 16:11:08 GMT

Forum

Nikos Vaslamatzis — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:55:25 GMT

About Us

Silvia Balmas — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:54:38 GMT

Entering into force on 3 May 2008, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities set a new perspective for those foundations active in the field of disability or human rights, providing them with a unique opportunity to put their expertise to good use in the emerging field of disability.

As a result, in 2009 a group of foundations led by the European Foundation Centre (EFC) decided to work together in the form of a Consortium to make a distinctive contribution towards mobilising the foundation sector. In February 2010 the European Consortium of Foundations on Human Rights and Disability launched its first pilot project.


	Check out the video interview with Ms Maria Orejas-Chantelot, Disability Interest Group Coordinator at the European Foundation Centre, providing an overview of the aims and work of the LHAC.

The League of Historical and Accessible Cities’ main aim is to improve the accessibility of historical towns promoting at the same time sustainable tourism development and the protection of cultural heritage.

The main purposes of the project are:

To put forward innovative accessibility solutions which allow people with disabilities to fully enjoy cultural and historical heritage
To foster tourism and the social development of the city
To develop pilot projects that can serve as an inspiration for other foundations, local authorities and stakeholders
To serve as a hub for exchange of best practices and know-how
To lead by example, raise awareness, stimulate ideas and invite others to act

The project is being simultaneously implemented by 11 foundations in 5 different countries across Europe, each of them in partnership with the local authorities of the 6 historical towns involved:

Avila (Spain) - Fundación ONCE
Lucca (Italy) - Fondazione Banca Monte di Lucca
Mulhouse (France) - Fondation Réunica, Fondation de France, Centre Français des Fonds et Fondations
Torino (Italy) - Fondazione CRT
Viborg (Denmark) - Realdania Foundation, Bevica Foundation, The Danish Disability Foundation and The Labour Market Holiday Fund
Sozopol (Bulgaria) - Sozopol Foundation

A tourist route including interesting buildings, museums, parks, restaurants, shops and tourist information centres is being developed in the historical city centre of each member town.

It is important to note that ‘disability’ is seen in its broadest sense, including both sensory and physical impairments and disabilities, and that (following the Universal Design criteria) improvements to accessibility are conceived for the long-term benefit of all visitors, residents and tourists.

As a result, on these routes everyone will be able not only to walk around and explore the townscape independently, but also to orient themselves and to interact with their surroundings, thanks to information signs (such as tactile billboards, sign language guides and audio guides) and other interactive digital tools that will be accessible to all.

The project involves a holistic conception of accessibility, which will entail improvements in four main areas:

The built environment and public spaces
Transport and related infrastructures
Information and communication, including information and communication technologies (ICT)
Public facilities and services

The diversity of historical townscapes means that solutions for improving access cannot be standardised. Consequently, although a common methodology provided by an external specialised consultancy has been agreed, the way in which each individual country is implementing the project varies enormously, bringing additional richness and depth to the initiative. The League of Historical and Accessible Cities will produce a best design and best practice guide showcasing each individual project.

Aiming to improve social inclusion and active participation of people with disabilities through improved access to historical and cultural heritage, the League of Historical and Accessible Cities can be also seen as a good example of social innovation practice.

► Download the LHAC overview in PDF format.

► Read more about the LHAC as a social innovation example (PDF format).


Check out the video interview with Ms Donata Vivanti, vice-president of the European Disability Forum, giving an overview of work of her organisation.

About the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) is not only the first Convention to be adopted in the 21st century and the first international human rights instrument to be ratified by the European Communities on 29 November 2009, but it also marks the official recognition of disability as a human rights issue.

It is an international human rights treaty that sets out minimum standards for protecting and safeguarding a full range of civil, political, social, and economic rights for disabled people. It reflects the EU's broader commitment to building a barrier-free Europe for the estimated 80 million people with disabilities in the EU by 2020, as set out in the European Commission's disability strategy.

For more information visit the website of the European Disability Forum

About the Consortium on Human Rights and Disability

As a product of the Disability Thematic Network, the European Consortium of Foundations on Human Rights and Disability aims to bring together funders and other stakeholders committed to promoting the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), a ground breaking international treaty which entered into force on 3 May 2008.

The Consortium’s overall aim is to breathe life and vigour into the application of the Convention, to make a distinctive contribution and to mobilise the foundation sector to play a catalytic role to ensure that European governments and other relevant stakeholders commit to and support both ratification and implementation of the Convention.

Led by the European Foundation Centre (EFC) with the participation of Fundación ONCE (Spain), Fondazione Banca del Monte di Lucca (Italy), Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Torino (Italy), Fondation de France, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian (Portugal), Sabanci Foundation (Turkey), The Atlantic Philanthropies (Ireland/USA) and ESSL Foundation (Austria). The Consortium was officially launched at the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday 1 April 2009.

Read more about the EFC Consortium on Human Rights and Disability

About the European Foundation Centre

Established in 1989, the European Foundation Centre is an independent international not-for-profit association of foundations and corporate funders dedicated to creating an enabling legal and fiscal environment for foundations, documenting the foundation landscape, strengthening the infrastructure of the sector and promoting collaboration, both among foundations and between foundations and other actors.

The Centre is a hub for European and global philanthropists, embracing robust cooperation with an array of partners, including governments, international organisations and universities.

Read more about the European Foundation Centre

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Nikos Vaslamatzis — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:50:18 GMT

Welcome

Silvia Balmas — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:47:00 GMT

Europe’s historical cities, museums, ancient buildings, monuments and townscapes are renowned worldwide for their beauty, diversity and historical significance. Millions of people visit them every year but many others feel unwelcome due to physical barriers and inadequate services that can prevent people with sensory or physical disabilities from accessing them.

How can you make historical city centres and buildings more accessible without compromising their cultural heritage? How can wider access be reconciled with conservation interests? This is the one of the biggest challenges in Europe regarding accessibility and an important field for the foundation sector to engage in.

Launched in 2010, the League of Historical and Accessible Cities (LHAC) is a pilot project focusing on improving the accessibility of historical towns while at the same time promoting the development of sustainable tourism and the protection of cultural heritage. To date, 6 accessible tourist routes have been created in 6 different cities across Europe (see links to the left).


	Check out the League of Historical and Accessible Cities' video overview!

The main goal of the project is not only to allow people with disabilities and their families to take full enjoyment from leisure and cultural activities, but also to stimulate tourism among the 80 million people with disabilities living in Europe. From this point of view the project is therefore expected to contribute to the cities´ long-term cultural and social development. Improved access to a city’s cultural heritage makes it more dynamic and attractive to its residents and tourists and thereby increases its economic profit and growth.

►Click on the image or here to see the LHAC guide

►NEW!!! La nouvelle version de la guide en Français ICI

► Read more about the LHAC or download the LHAC overview in PDF format.

► Find out more about the project members’ local projects!

► Find out more about all the events where the LHAC was presented HERE

► Find out more about the LHAC evaluation HERE

The League of Historical and Accessible Cities is now registered as an action on sustainable urban mobility under the DO THE RIGHT MIX European Commission Campaign and can now be viewed on the campaign website here (Search using the “list view” and "by country" taping France, Italy, Denmark or Spain).

Click on the logo to read the whole news.

The LHAC was selected as a best practice and resulted on of the 5 winner of the 2014 International Design for All Award. The award recognises examples which stand out in terms of their impact and which indicate the way ahead for better implementation of design for all/universal design.