Programme-at-a-glance

The 2nd World Summit on Accessible Tourism – ‘Destinations for All 2018’ will include a series of innovative ideas, specific case studies, experiences and best practices during the plenary and parallel sessions throughout the two-day event. The main topics of discussion are the following:

Destination Management
Hosting and Security
Accommodation
Transport and Mobility
Leisure Products and Activities

Consult the programme (PDF format)

Summit Programme Table

	Sunday, 30 September 2018
18h00 – 20h00	Opening ceremony and welcome cocktail - The Egg Isabelle Ducharme and Vincent Snoeck, Co-President of the Summit Michel Audet, General Delegate of Québec in Brussels René Collin, Walloon Minister of Tourism Alexandre Bodart-Pinto, founder of Wheeling around the World and Everybody Travel

	Monday, 1 October 2018
09h00 – 10h30	Plenary Session Welcome and Introduction Isabelle Ducharme and Vincent Snoeck, Co-President of the Summit Marina Diotallevi, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Daniela Bas, United Nations
10h30 – 11h00	Coffee Break and Exhibition
11h00 – 12h30	Parallel Session Public transport for tourists with reduced mobility Moderator: Mohamed Mezghani, International Association of Public Transport Accessible destinations for all : the commitment of the public transport sector Anne-Laure Lemerre (International Association of Public Transport) How to combine accessibility and design - do right from the beginning Ditte Kahlström Jansson (Transport Administration Stockholm County Council - Sweden) Busfinder, an infomobility app accessible to people with blindness or visual impairment Roberto Murru (CTM SPA - Italy) Customer experience serving RATP'S tourists Patricia Delon (RATP - France)	Parallel Session Accessibility tools Moderator : Bart Simons, Anysurfer Audio Description: Making Your Events and Facilities Accessible for Visitors Who Are Blind Joel Snyder (Audio Description Associates, LLC/American Council of the Blind-Audio Description Project - USA) Universal Access: Simplifying Written Content Eloise Auffret-Novice (Consultant - France) Visioguide Jérôme Duquesne (Private - Belgium) Home-away-from-home Anouk Tuinstra (Universal Design Living Lab (UD Woonlabo - Belgium)	Parallel Session National strategies Moderator: Ross Calladine, VisitEngland Tourism For All in Lebanon Rona Dbeissi (Lebanese Union for People with Physical Disabilities (LUPD) - Lebanon) and Hanine El Chemaly (Lebanese Union for People with Physical Disabilities (LUPD) - Lebanon) The ALL FOR ALL Program Implementation Helena Ribeiro (Turismo de Portugal - Portugal) Association "Barrier-free Destinations in Germany" – a powerful alliance Kostja Gosau (Association Barrier-free Destinations in Germany - Germany) Financial assistance for the accessibility of tourist establishments in Québec Francis Paradis (Quebec Ministry of Tourism - Canada) and Lyne Ménard (Kéroul - Canada)	Parallel Session Information and planning Moderator: Kathleen Davisters, Visit.Brussels Accelerator of inclusion and mobility for territories Schutt Valérie (Communauté Urbaine Dunkerque - France) and François Monié (PictoAccess - France) Discoverability and quality of online information of accessible tourism services - Example of Wheelchairtraveller.org Tobias Streitferdt (Wheelchairtraveller.org - Germany) Creating an Accessible Destination Gillian Scoford (Accessible Derbyshire - United Kingdom) and Jane Cooper (Accessible Derbyshire - United Kingdom) Accessible Tourism in Brussels André Moons (AMT Concept - Belgium) and Miguel Gerez (AMT Concept - Belgium)
12h30 – 14h00	Lunch and Exhibition Quick presentation (Riverside 1) German National Tourist Board: Accessible tourism products and services in travel destination Germany
14h00 – 15h30	Plenary Session Customers, Design, Territories: New Perspectives Moderator : Ivor Ambrose, ENAT Elements for a renewed definition of the Accessible Tourism Territory for all taking into account the diversity of territories and uses David Amiaud (Université de La Rochelle / ADERA - France) Predicting and Preparing Tomorrow’s Accessible Tourism Maud Dupuis Caillot (Polymorphe Design - France) Who is a traveller with a disability Bill Forrester (Travability - Australia)
15h30 – 16h00	Coffee Break and Exhibition Quick presentation (Riverside 1) Martinique Access'île : European destination in the Caribbean
16h00 – 17h30	Parallel Session Availability of accessible taxis Moderator : Michel Trudel, Tourism and transport Consultant How to ensure a taxi service accessible to everyone in each of our communities? Isabelle Ducharme (Kéroul - Québec) and André Leclerc (Kéroul - Québec) Accessible transportation, can it be on-demand Eric Lipp (Open Doors Organization - USA) and Katy O'Reilly (Open Doors Organization - USA) Debate Mary Crass (International Transportation Forum), Matthew Daus (International Association of Transportation Regulators), Isabelle Ducharme (Kéroul - Québec), André Leclerc (Kéroul - Québec), Eric Lipp (Open Doors Organization - USA), Katy O'Reilly (Open Doors Organization - USA)	Parallel Session Training on welcoming of tourists with special needs Moderator : Annette Masson, International Social Tourism Organisation The training, essential to the accessibility for all Annette Masson (International Social Tourism Organisation) Mobilise, sensitise and train tourism actors about accessibility for all Rezeg Hamida (Regional Council of Ile-de-France - France), Marie Yahiel (Paris Region Tourist Board - France) and Charlotte Vella (Paris Region Tourist Board - France) Methodology of the training "Passeur de Sens": accessibility in the cultural and touristic fields to improve quality of life Coralie Vandevenne (ASBL Oeuvre Fédérale Les Amis des Aveugles et Malvoyants - Belgium) Barbados where you belong Roseanna Tudor (Barbados Council for the Disabled)	Parallel Session Territory Labeling Program Moderator: John Sage, Accessible Travel Solutions Providing Relyable Information on the Accessibility of Tourism Products and Destinations - The German Information and Labelling System "Tourism For All" Ruediger Leidner (Tourism For All Germany r.a. - Germany) Accesibility for all, a competitive factor Luc Thulliez (Ministry for Economy and Finances - Directorate General for Entreprise - France) The Blue Flag programme – promoting accessibility for all at beaches and in marinas Johann Durand (Foundation for Environmental Education / Blue Flag International - Denmark) Why information on accessibility is an important factor when it comes to inclusion and participation Ulla Kramer Terkelsen (Accessible Denmark/ God Adgang - Denmark)	Parallel Session Sports and leisure activities Moderator: Richard Thompson, Travel Counsellors Accessible cycling tourism along the Römer-Lippe-Route Pascal Tönnissen (Ruhr Tourismus GmbH - Germany) An investigation into the spa experiences of wheelchair users Elina (Eleni) Michopoulou (University of Derby - United Kingdom) and Sarah Hilton (University of Derby - United Kingdom) Bicycle tourism in Wallonia that’s accessible to people with specific needs Stéphanie Villance (Ministry of Tourism of Wallonia - Belgium) and Stéphanie Herman (Access-i - Belgium) Wine tourism, accessible beaches and dives Thierry Jacquet (Suisse Tourisme Handicap - Suisse)
17h30 – 18h15	Exhibition & TechnoLab Aurizone, towards digital accessibility for tourist sites Ken Teisseire (Aurizone - France) Wilson, the sidekick for the disabled Audrey Sovignet (I Wheel Share - France) Which initiatives to return the accessible tourism in a tourist department? Claude Blaho-Poncé (Herault Tourisme - France), Pascal Schmid (Herault tourisme - France) and David Coste (Mission Tourisme - France) Map’s Voice. Maps with voice output for everyone Cristina Sánchez Palomo (Puntodis - Spain) Tur4all International Accessible Tourism Platform (App and web page) Luigi Leporiere (PREDIF - Spain) Virtual accessibility guide in Rio de Janeiro and Brazil Regina Cohen (Pro-access Group, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and Access without limits - Brasil) Numeric solution for universal accessibility Caroline Aziere (AudioSpot - France) Destination tourism for all with the Access-i web platform Sandra Janssens (Access-i - Belgium)

	Tuesday, 2 October 2018
09h00 – 10h30	Plenary Session Influencers Moderator: Isabelle Ducharme, Kéroul Influence creates new opportunities for Accessible Tourism John Morris (WheelChair Travel - USA) Accessible Tourism Experiences, Standards and Measuring Performance Ivor Ambrose (ENAT - Greece)
10h30 – 11h00	Coffee Break and Exhibition
11h00 – 12h30	Parallel Session Impacts of the accessibility Moderator: Pieter Ghijsels, VisitFlanders Making a small community accessible Barbara Operschall (SpeechCode GmbH - Austria) How did the City and the Ruppin Lake District become more accessible through the creation of the accessible hotel and what impact did these developments have on the other hand on the hotel itself ? Peter Vogt (Seehotel Rheinsberg - Germany) Safe and Barrier free Sidewalks a Crucial aspect of Transportation Systems and Tourist Experience Abha Negi (Global forum for Empowerment - India) The Accessible Ecosystem for hotels and tourism Iñaki Alda (Implaser-Native Hotels - Spain)	Parallel Session Inclusive accommodations Moderator: Brianda Lopez, Hostelling International Middelpunt - A unique concept - inclusive work for accessible tourism Philip Vanneste (Mariasteen vzw - Belgium) Without accessible buildings, there can’t be inclusive holidays – FDS Hotel gGmbH Stefan von Schlotheim (FDS Hotel GmbH - Germany) WeTravel2 and the Flemish Youth Hostels creating All-in Hostels Kristof Steegmans (WeTravel2 - Belgium) and Tine Depré (Flemish Youth Hostels - Belgium) AusZeit - vacation home with care Concept Charlotte Baumert (Evangelische Altenhilfe St. Georgen GmbH - Germany)	Parallel Session Air Transport Moderator : Laurel Van Horn, Open doors Evaluation of Wheelchairs and Wheelchair tie downs for in-cabin use Michele Erwin (All Wheels Up - USA) BDL‘s dialog with PRM \| Matching the interests of airlines and airports with those of passengers with reduced mobility \| How to get an understanding of an accessible aviation Marian Kortas (Bundesverband der Deutschen Luftverkehrswirtschaft e.V. (BDL) - Germany) Airport Best Practices in Meeting the Needs of Travelers with Disabilities Shu Cole (Indiana University - USA) and Weixuan Wang (Indiana University - USA) Airport Automated Assistance for Reduced Mobility Passengers (3A-RMP) Imad Mougharbel (Beirut Research and Innovation Center - Lebanon)	Parallel Session Regional Strategies Moderator: Isabelle Ducharme, Kéroul Inclusive Flanders: a total experience Ewoud Lagring (VisitFlanders - Belgium) Wallonia: tools and partnerships for the development of accessible tourism Nadine Verheye (Administration of Walloon tourism - Belgium) and Aurélie Charlier (Access-i asbl - Belgium) Advocacy Initiatives for Accessible Tourism Melissa James (Inclusive Tourism - Australia) Accessible Tourism in Saxony Antje Rennack (Tourism Marketing Company of Saxony - Germany)
12h30 – 14h00	Lunch and Exhibition
14h00 – 15h30	Parallel Session Parks and nature Moderator: Olaf Schlieper, German National Tourist Board Nature for All Eric Dubois (Natagora - Belgium) Creating the sensory gardens and paths as outdoor sites for people with visual impairments Alina Zajadacz (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań - Poland) and Anna Lubarska (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan - Poland) Fully accessible Eifel National Park Tobias Wiesen (Eifel National Park - Germany) The outdoors for all - SEPAQ's accessibility initiatives Claire Ducharme (Société des établissements de plein air du Québec (SÉPAQ) - Canada)	Parallel Session Blogs, social media and travel decisions Panel Discussion Moderator: John Morris, WheelChair Travel Panelist(s): Blandine Even (Mille découvertes sur 4 roulettes - Belgium), Aurélie Loaèc (I Wheel Travel - France), Mélanie Bordes (Little Miss Turtle - France)	Parallel Session Standards and expertise Moderator : Stéphanie Herman, Access-i asbl Universal Accessibility in Azores and Madeira – Education and Policies Tiago Valente (Access Azores - Portugal) Making Your Destination Inclusive and Accessible to All Susanna Laurin (International Association of Accessibility Professionals, IAAP Representative to the EU, Global Leadership Council - USA) Accessible Tourism For All - A Global Effort Isabelle Ducharme (Kéroul - Canada) and Marnie Peters (Marnie Peters & Co Inc. - Canada) International Certification of Accessibility Consultants - Built Environment - Establishing Expectations and Recognition of Universal Design Accessibility Consultants Marnie Peters (Global Alliance on Accessible Technology and Environments - Canada)	Parallel Session Certified Destinations Moderator : Frédéric Dubé, Alliance touristique Québec Making a holiday resort accessible, working with the Destination pour Tous label: Balaruc-les-Bains, France's number one spa resort Pierre Lary (Tourism Director - Balaruc-les-Bains - France) and Sylvain Bonnet (Director of the Baths, Balaruc-les-Bains - France) The Impacts of Destination pour tous certification on the development of inclusive environments Nathalie Roussel (Ville de Victoriaville - Canada) Hanseatic City of Rostock and seaside resort Warnemünde – Accessible vacation by the Baltic Sea Beate Hlawa (Tourism Board Rostock & Warnemünde - Germany) Bordeaux, destination for all Joel Solari (Lord mayor in charge of handicap - France)
15h30 – 16h00	Coffee Break and Exhibition
16h00 – 17h30	Parallel Session Urban strategies Moderator: Vanessa Grandgagnage - Ministry of Tourism of Wallonia Brandenburg: approaches towards accessibility in the region all around Berlin Kerstin Lehmann (TMB Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg GmbH - Germany) Pledging to the Accessibility Journey Lenna Klintworth (Destination Gold Coast - Australia) The systematic implementation of ‘Design for All’ in the tourism sector – the example Luxembourg France Ewen (Le Gouvernement du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg - Ministère de l’Économie - Grand-Duché du Luxembourg) The Mega events World Cup FIFA 2014 and Olympic and Paralympics Games RIO 2016: Evaluation of the Accessibility in the Central Squares of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Regina Cohen (Pro-access Group Federal University of Rio de Janeiro - Access without limits - Brasil)	Parallel Session Travels around the world *Moderator* : Alexandre Bodart-Pinto, Wheeling Around the World The Top 8 Accessible Tourist Destinations in Europe (and 4 of the Most Difficult) John Sage (Accessible Travel Solutions - USA) ‘The Superhero Team’ movie formula for an accessible tourism endeavor Rustom Irani (Cox & Kings (Enable Travel) - India) Twelve months that will change the world Richard Thompson (Travel Counsellors - UK) Follow the needs - experiences and insides from more than 25 years of activity as a tour operator in accessible tourism Holger Kähler (Videlis Seniorenreisen e.V. - Germany)	Parallel Session Adventure tourism and outdoor activities Moderator : Martin Heng, Lonely Planet Handisport Mallorca: Enjoy your abilities ! Rafael Winckelmann Martín (Handisport Foundation - Spain) Outdoor recreation accessibility in France: findings and inspiring practices Alexandra Gilbert (Université du Québec à Trois-Rivière - Canada) Adaptive Adventure Tourism Jezza Williams (Makingtrax - New Zealand) Accessible Nepal - an inclusive initiative Pankaj Pradhananga (Four season Travel & Tours - Nepal)	Parallel Session Facilitators of stays Moderator: Charles-Etienne Bélanger - International Social Tourism Organisation Our guests and income. Japan Accessible Tourism Center Hideto Kijima (Japan Accessible Tourism Center - Japan) Virtual Disability Manager: accessibility is a matter of services Roberto Vitali (Village for All srl - Italia) and Serena Stefanoni (Bed&Care srl - Italia) The personal attendant for leisure (PAL) card: a tool to support the participation of people with disabilities in recreational, cultural and tourism activities Josiane Corbeil (Office des personnes handicapées du Québec - Canada) The European Disability Card - A tool for improved freedom of movement Pierre Gyselinck (Belgian Disability Forum vzw - Belgium) and Emilie Desmet (Belgian Disability Forum vzw - Belgium)
17h30 – 18h00	Closing Ceremony Closing Remarks by Isabelle Ducharme and Vincent Snoeck Co-Presidents of the Summit

*The programme is subject to change