MEDIA RELEASE: ICCHP_AAATE_22 kicking off in Lecco

Lecco, ITALY, 13 July 2022: Today the Joint International Conference on Digital Inclusion, Assistive Technology & Accessibility (ICCHP-AAATE) opened its doors to over 400 registered participants in beautiful Lecco, Italy.

We were honored to have Giampiero Griffo giving the opening keynote speech. Giampiero is board member of the European Disability Forum (EDF) and was part of the Italian delegation drafting UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Times are changing – with a few tones from Bob Dylan’s song, Giampiero guided us into his reflections on a cultural approach to assistive technology. He gave us a quick tour of the existing regulations such as the UNCRPD, today ratified by 182 countries in the world, and underlined that the convention introduces important changes by moving from the recognition of the needs to the recognition of the rights of persons with disabilities.

“If as a wheelchair user, I just need to use public transport, nothing happens. But if as a wheelchair user, I have a right to use public transport, they need to adapt and make it happen”, said Giampiero. “The convention defines disability as a cultural and social construction, and indeed if you replace the term “people with disabilities” with “women”, “minorities”, “migrants”, “people with different sexual orientation”, you understand that it’s a cultural and social construction”, he continued.

Furthermore, we live in what Giampiero calls a “post-human society”, where there are no more limitations from or to the body – with the right support. Through the growth of knowledge in medicine, the augmentation of life expectancy, the development of new technologies, we live the transformation of human potential.

The three-days ICCHP AAATE 22 conference bringing together expert communities in digital inclusion, assistive technology and accessibility provides the ideal platform to exchange about the transformative change of our societies and the field of AT itself, to learn from each other, find synergies and new ways for co-operation.

ICCHP AAATE 2022 covers a rich program of 4 scientific tracks in parallel to policy and educational sessions. Have a look at the program and follow updates around #ICCHP_AAATE_22 on Twitter and LinkedIn: https://icchp-aaate.org/program

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About AAATE:
The Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe (AAATE) is a non profit membership organization and its aim is to advance the knowledge on assistive technology in all its forms and, more in general, to enhance the role technology can have in enabling citizens with functional restrictions to be active, to participate in all realms of life and to have a higher quality of life. The association has institutional and single members in almost all European countries and is part of various international collaboration frameworks, such as the Global Alliance of AT professional organisations and the ENTELIS network (together with other European umbrella organisations). The association organises every two years a major international conference on Assistive Technology and publishes the journal Technology and Disability.