The Tenth ICEVI-Europe International Conference (International Council for Education and Rehabilitation of People with Visual Impairment), which was held in Padua, Italy, May 15-17, 2025, received the “Inclusive Congress 2025” award last Dec. 15 at the Campidoglio in Rome during Convention Bureau Italia’s Italian Knowledge Leaders event.
The recognition was made possible thanks to the Padua Convention & Visitors Bureau (Padua DMO Consortium), a tourism and convention promotion organization with membership in the Padua Chamber of Commerce, whose support for the initiative and membership in the Convention Bureau Italia made this nomination possible.
The award was given to the ICEVI-Europe Conference thanks to the many accessible communication arrangements and solutions, from the event website to the materials (program, advertising, invitations…), made with high-contrast color and font solutions accessible even to people with visual impairment and with the inclusion of QRcode for audio-reading via smartphone. In addition, real-time broadcast information, braille signage, badges and signage, customized and inclusive menus for all participants, dedicated escort services for visually impaired people, the presence of guide dogs, and the accessibility of all historic venues involved.
The 10th ICEVI-Europe International Conference.
The 2025 edition of the conference addressed a central theme for the international community of professionals working for people with visual impairment “SUPPORTING CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENT: What can we do? What can be done? “.
The program focused on the need for a multidisciplinary approach in providing support to children and young adults with visual impairment, exploring key aspects of their quality of life: medical and psychological care; education and schooling pathways; re/habilitation; orientation and autonomy; and development of skills for daily living.
Maria Eleonora Reffo, Director General of the Robert Hollman Foundation (Italian version only) said, “The Padua edition of the Tenth ICEVI-Europe Conference was an important moment to strengthen the dialogue among international professionals on education, rehabilitation and inclusion of children and young adults with visual impairment. One of our main goals in organizing it was also to convert from theory to practice that particular model of care, which has inspired the clinical and professional work of the Robert Hollman Foundation for 46 years. At the ICEVI-Europe Conference, therefore, we committed ourselves to fostering an environment that facilitated inclusion and participation for all, particularly through environmental arrangements and relational care.”
A shared candidacy
The candidacy of the 10th ICEVI-Europeal international conference award Italian Knowledge Leaders was coordinated by thePadua Convention & Visitors Bureau, collaboratively with L.C. Congresses, Organizing Secretariat of the event, a Padua-based company with 30 years of leadership and strongly rooted in the Congress, Events & Travels industry, specializing in the medical-scientific field, under the expert guidance of Loredana Capuzzo, Ceo: “The Congress required rigorous strategic planning and meticulous and complex operational coordination aimed at ensuring full accessibility and effective inclusion of all stakeholders. Through proactive resource management and careful analysis of individual needs, it was possible to overcome all architectural and communication barriers, fostering equitable and unhindered participation. As a result of this systemic approach and the care devoted to each stage of the process, the project achieved results of excellence, garnering wide acceptance and high satisfaction ratings both among organizational management and participants.”
Padua as host city
The congress was held in some of the most significant venues in the city of Padua, thanks to the collaboration of the City of Padua and the University of Padua, which provided an ideal setting for an event dedicated to inclusion. Symbolic sites of Padua’s cultural and scientific heritage hosted plenary sessions, workshops and parallel activities, allowing participants to have an immersive experience in the urban fabric as well. The city’s hospitality, its university tradition and growing commitment to inclusivity helped create a context consistent with the congress mission, fostering an open dialogue between the scientific community, institutions and social realities.
Sergio Giordani, mayor of Padua, emphasizes with satisfaction, “Last spring, Padua was proud to host the ICEVI-Europe Conference, and this national award reaffirms, once again, the commitment now inscribed in our city DNA to inclusion, to encourage the participation of everyone, including people with disabilities, in the social, cultural, economic, tourist … life of our city.”
Prof. Barbara Arfè, delegate for inclusion and disability at the University of Padua adds, “This recognition crowns a project of great scientific, cultural and social value, in which the University of Padua participated with strong conviction. The ICEVI-Europe Conference represents not only a model of a genuinely inclusive scientific event, but also the culmination of a shared journey: a network effort in which the Robert Hollman Foundation, the University, the City Council and local associations actively collaborated to carry out an inclusion project aimed at the city and conference participants. The result of this synergy has been an intellectual and social enrichment for all the actors involved.”
Roberto Crosta, president of the Padua DMO Consortium (Padua Convention & Visitors Bureau) says, “This award is a source of great pride for Padua and for the entire territorial system that works daily to make our city a welcoming, accessible destination capable of generating value through knowledge. Padua will continue to invest in events that combine scientific excellence, inclusiveness and cultural heritage enhancement, contributing to the sustainable development and international attractiveness of the city.”
Adds Laura Favaretti, head of the Padua DMO Consortium, “This award testifies to the effectiveness of a team effort involving institutions, tour operators, the convention world and scientific realities, and reinforces our commitment to promoting quality convention tourism that is people-oriented and capable of leaving a positive legacy for the area.”
