The milestone of Elegast Monbaliu
A game changer
The impact of this milestone cannot be overstated. “The difference between having to be pushed all the time and being able to move from point A to point B independently is immense. Imagine a person disagrees with something but can’t verbalise it: they can now express how they feel simply by driving away.” But it doesn’t stop there. “I want to make everything accessible to everyone. Sports, culture, but also technology. Voice computers, AI, eye gaze, ... So many incredible technologies are being developed, but the people who would benefit from them the most can’t always access them today.”
To achieve access, collaboration is key. Elegast: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. That proverb sums it up nicely. A conference is the perfect place to exchange knowledge, meet people, and start partnerships. If I could discuss teamwork with anyone, it would be Barack Obama. The way he rallies people around a positive story and a clear goal is downright impressive. At the same time, he is realistic enough to define priorities and move forward step by step without losing sight of his core values.”
Impact on the local environment
For Elegast, a conference can leave a lasting impact on the local community by bringing stakeholders closer. “This is what we focused on very strongly when organising the European Academy of Childhood-onset Disability (EACD) congress this year. For example, we brought local sports clubs together to learn how each can facilitate access for people with disabilities. Those efforts earned us a nomination as finalist for the ICCA Incredible Impacts Award 2024.”
“People with lived experience should be even more involved in conferences.”
“The master of ceremony at the EACD congress was a person with a disability. Today you’re still making a statement with that choice, while it should be business as usual. I do notice that things are shifting. The growing importance that we as a society attach to values like sustainability and inclusion is gradually seeping through at conferences, too. People with lived experience should, in my opinion, be even more involved in a conference.”
“During one of my first conferences, we went skiing with the local paralympics team.”
“One of my first conferences took place in Denver during the winter, and we went skiing with the local paralympics team. That experience has stayed with me because the congress organisers’ starting point was ability – not disability. The first patient that stepped into my physiotherapy practise twenty-five years ago is another source of inspiration. He was a young man born with a brain injury. Trapped in his own body, he still dreamed of independent mobility. Interacting with my patients inspires me every day. They make sure I stay focused on my goal.”
