European Federation of Tourist Guide Associations and ENAT receive 2025 Innovation Award for T-Guide Tourist Training
EASPD Spring Conference Banner: Culture of Inclusion, with logos of the Orgamisers, EASPD and Fundación Espurna, Gandia
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The European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) announced the winners of its 2025 Innovation Awards at its Spring Conference in Gandia, Spain. Six innovative practices were recognised for their efforts to make cultural, recreational, leisure and sporting activities accessible to people with disabilities on an equal basis with others.
People with disabilities can face many barriers to enjoy arts, sports and leisure on an equal basis to others. EASPD’s 2025 Innovation Awards focus on initiatives which help to remove these barriers and create equal opportunities in accessing such activities, as outlined in Article 30 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The winners received an award during EASPD’s Spring Conference, ‘A Culture of Inclusion: Enriching lives through Arts, Sports and Leisure’, co-hosted by Fundación Espurna and University of Valencia in Gandia, Spain, on 15-16 May.
The 2025 EASPD Innovation Award winners, in no particular order, are:
‘T-Guide’ by the European Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (FEG) and European Network for Accessible Tourism asbl. (ENAT)
The T-GUIDE (Guiding People with Learning Difficulties) training is a lifelong learning course co-developed by FEG and ENAT. It is designed for professional tourist guides across Europe and provides key principles for preparing guided tours that are inclusive of persons with intellectual disabilities or learning difficulties.
‘ALL INCLUSIVE’ by Goethe-Institut Bosnia and Herzegovina on behalf of the EUNIC Cluster Bosnia and Herzegovina
ALL INCLUSIVE is a socio-cultural project, centred on the performing arts, which fosters the social inclusion of persons with disabilities and other marginalised groups. Through co-produced workshops, participants uncover their creative talents and develop professional skills. The process culminates in a multidisciplinary theatre production, amplifying underrepresented voices and creating meaningful cultural expression.
‘Including Inclusion’ by International Coaching Course (ITK)
The International Coaching Course (ITK) is a postgraduate education programme for sports professionals from developing and emerging countries. The course combines theoretical and practical learning in disciplines such as football, athletics, swimming and inclusive sports, with a focus on youth sports. As part of the postgraduate programme, ITK hosts the Alumni Working Group “Including Inclusion that focuses on promoting accessibility and inclusion of marginalised groups in sport.” Five ITK alumni from five global regions form a working group. Their work includes online workshops, in-person training, and visits to the German Paralympic Sports Association, promoting inclusive youth sports worldwide.
‘Nevronas FESTival’ by Nevronas
Held annually at the Technopolis of the Municipality of Athens, the Nevronas FESTival is a Festival of Inclusive Performing Arts and Artistic Interaction. The event, which has successfully run for three consecutive years, empowers professional and amateur artists with and without disabilities to perform in an accessible, non-discriminatory environment. A cornerstone of the festival is its Inclusive Volunteering Programme, which fosters cooperation and shared experience among volunteers with and without disabilities.
‘SavasRock’ by Savas Foundation
SavasRock is an inclusive rock festival organised by Savas Foundation that aims to raise awareness of intellectual disabilities, break barriers and remove prejudices. Moving away from events hosted exclusively for persons with disabilities, this event gathers everyone to enjoy music in a friendly atmosphere, providing a real festival experience with top artists.
‘‘Art is everyone's gift’ ’Supereroi Printre Noi
The ‘Art is everyone's gift’ initiative delivers fully accessible and inclusive events across Romania. These events include adapted concerts, theatre performances, literature clubs, exhibitions and film screenings tailored to the needs of people with complex disabilities. The events aim to amplify the voices of persons with disabilities by sharing their life stories, combating stereotypes and encouraging social understanding through inclusive cultural participation.
Speaking at the Innovation Awards ceremony, Kirsi Konola, EASPD President said:
“EASPD wishes to congratulate our 2025 winners as well as all the 80+ organisations who submitted their innovative practices. Together, your work shows what is possible when we commit to enabling persons with disabilities to enjoy arts, sports and leisure on an equal basis with others.”
EASPD hopes that these promising practices can be a source of inspiration for other service providers as we work together towards the full implementation of the UNCRPD.
Receiving the 2025 Innovation Award from the EASPD President before the gathering of over 200 EASPD members, ENAT’s Managing Director, Ivor Ambrose thanked the independent Jury for recognising the value of the FEG-ENAT Certified T-Guide Training Programme which has trained over 100 professional tourist guides in 15 countries since its inception, following a successful EU-funded Life-long Learning project.
Ambrose stated:
“This award is very special to us. It underlines that tourist guides, as professionals in the tourism sector, are highly motivated to learn and improve their skills, enabling them to give visitors with intellectual disabilities meaningful and enjoyable experiences of Europe’s cultural heritage. The award is a testimony to their enthusiasm and dedication, showing how tourist guides can play a significant role in making cultural tourism accessible for everyone”.
As part of the Conference Programme, Ivor Ambrose held an interactive workshop with delegates, where experiences and ideas about cultural tourism sites and tourist guiding were shared. A video from the portfolio of a T-Guide trainee was screened, showing a city-tour with a group of disabled visitors to Cardiff Bay in Wales.
The EASPD award (shown in the photo, above) is one of 6 pieces of a ceramic jigsaw puzzle, mounted on wooden boards - one for each award winner.
The plaques were designed and made by a disabled artist, Andreea, who works at the Espurna Foundation, Gandia, Spain.
Photo: FEG President Efi Kalampoukidou and ENAT Managing Director Ivor Ambrose holding the EASPD Innovation Award, with Greek Parliament building in background.
Further information
Download the EASPD Innovation Awards 2025 Booklet from the Downloads section on this page.
Download Ivor Ambrose's slide presentation given at the Workshop.