Dear Colleagues,
It’s that time of year again! Once every four years a European Conference in the field of people with visual impairments is organized by the International Council for Education and Rehabilitation of People with Visual Impairment, Europe Region (ICEVI-Europe), in cooperation with a host committee and local partners. The last European Conference of ICEVI-Europe took place in Bruges, Belgium in 2017 with the participation of hundreds of distinguished professionals working in the field of VI across Europe.
ICEVI-Europe in cooperation with Robert Hollman Foundation are proud to announce our milestone tenth European Conference in 2025. The 10th ICEVI-European Conference will be held from May 15 to May 17, 2025 at the Town Hall and University of Padova in Italy, thanks to the hospitality and collaboration of the Municipality of Padova and the University of Padova.
We are looking forward to seeing many familiar colleagues and we are also hoping to see many new colleagues at our upcoming conference. Join us to actively take part in the exchange of knowledge and expertise and sharing of best practices within a network of people and institutions promoting the inclusion of people with visual impairment, as we explore this year’s theme: “Supporting children and young adults with visual impairment: What can we do? What can be done?”
The Conference, which will bring together hundreds of professionals from all over Europe, will focus on how support, using a multidisciplinary approach, can foster a better quality of life for children and young adults with visual impairment.
The scientific contributions will be an opportunity to share and circulate/discuss experiences related to supporting children and young adults with visual impairment within four important areas of interest: individual development and assessment; education and learning; habilitation and rehabilitation; access, partecipation and engagement in society.
In the meantime, and in the run-up to the European Conference, professionals will be involved in a co-participatory process in order to identify the essential theoretical principles of a multidisciplinary approach to supporting children and young adults with visual impairment. The final objective will be the drafting of the shared European Key Principles document that will be approved on the final day of the Conference; it will then be made available as an operational tool for all professionals involved in the support of children and young adults with visual impairment.
We look forward to your active participation and having you all join us at the 2025 Conference in Padova!Â
Sincerely,
Dr John Ravenscroft                                     Dr Maria Eleonora Reffo                       Professor and Chair of Childhood Visual Impairment            General Director of the Robert Hollman Foundation   President of ICEVI-Europe            Â