The IAAP EU and Vially Accessibility Hybrid Event took place in Dublin, on the 4th and 5th February in Vision Ireland’s Wayfinding Centre.
The two day IAAP EU Accessibility 2026 Hybrid Event focused on various aspects of the European Accessibility Act. The conference took a closer look at aspects previously not well covered, like self-service terminals, information and support services, and travel information. Vision Ireland Group CEO Chris White delivered the keynote address to those in attendance in the Wayfinding Centre and those who joined online. The Wayfinding Centre recently hosted an accessibility event for the IAAP EU and Vially, and the impact has been extraordinary.
As Vision Ireland stated on social media “Its safe to say that The Wayfinding Centre is not a traditional training venue. It’s a fully immersive, real-world transport environment where people can physically experience accessibility and inaccessibility across buses, rail and air travel. It allows policymakers, designers, operators and accessibility professionals to step into the reality of transport from a different perspective, and it's this that changes everything.
Since the event, we’ve seen countless posts from attendees describing how powerful the experience of being in the facility was, not just informative, but transformative.”
Susanna Laurin, IAAP EU Program Lead, puts it perfectly - “Using the Wayfinding Centre as the venue for an IAAP EU event was a success that will be hard to beat! To physically experience (in)accessibility in real buses, trains, and aircraft creates a different level of understanding of user needs. Truly inspirational, and fun! for both laymen and specialists.”
This is exactly why The Wayfinding Centre exists, it "creates a different level of understanding of user needs".
It aims to reshape the future of transport and mobility by ensuring accessibility is built in at the design and implementation stage, not added as an afterthought.
If you or your organisation want to understand accessibility at a deeper level or want to see how transport systems can work better for everyone, we would love to welcome you.
Get in touch at info@thewayfindingcentre.ie and come experience this groundbreaking space for yourself.
For more information on Vially’s work and to learn how they may be able to support your work visit: www.vially.io