On 28 and 29 November, Kevin Quaid, Chair of the European Working Group of People with Dementia (EWGPWD), and Liselotte Klotz, Vice-Chair of the EWGPWD, attended the European Day of Persons with Disabilities 2024 conference and the Access City Award 2025 ceremony in Brussels, Belgium, to represent the interests and voices of people living with dementia. They were joined by Alzheimer Europe’s Public Involvement Officers, Sarah Campill and Sébastien Libert.
Every year, the EPED provides an excellent opportunity to network with patient organisations and people with disabilities, allowing for the exchange of successful strategies, discussions on key issues and the difference in needs within the community. An example and a yearly highlight is the Access City Award, which awards cities for their efforts to improve accessibility. This year’s winners were:
- First place: Vienna, Austria, for embedding accessibility at the heart of its urban strategy, seamlessly integrating advanced technology and inclusive planning throughout all aspects of city life.
- Second place: Nuremberg, Germany, for its proactive promotion of disability inclusion in city planning and the close collaboration between the Nuremberg Disability Council and city planners to ensure accessible public spaces.
- Third place: Cartagena, Spain, for making accessibility a cornerstone of its urban development, highlighted by the standout project ‘Beach for All’, which offers assisted bathing services for persons with disabilities, complete with trained staff, amphibious wheelchairs and accessible showers.
Another highlight of the conference was the panel on accessible and inclusive cities, held on the second day. During this panel, Kevin Quaid took the opportunity to speak about the challenges and stigma faced by people with invisible disabilities, such as dementia. He reminded attendees that while developing accessible urban environments is progress, it is equally important to train people to recognise the hidden signs of disabilities.