Ville de Luxembourg unveils Special Needs Awareness Weeks Programme

The Ville de Luxembourg (VdL), together with its Participatory Committee and over 90 partners, has announced the 8th edition of the Special Needs Awareness Weeks, taking place from 27 April to 12 June 2019.

Throughout the Special Needs Awareness Weeks, information stands, shows, lectures, luncheons, film screenings, exhibitions and guided tours will be organised to allow the public to improve their knowledge of the everyday life and needs of the people concerned.

The initiative will start on 27 April with a Special Needs Day of Reflection at the Bonnevoie Cultural Centre, from 10:00 - 17:00. This day of reflection, taking place in the presence of the various services of the VdL as well as several partners, will take stock of achievements, discuss priorities and make proposals for action for the coming years with regards meetings with special needs associations. This free event will be held in Luxembourgish with translation available on request into English, French, German and German sign language. Registration is recommended and mandatory if translation is needed.

Saturday 18 May will be dedicated to a Special Needs Action and Sporting Day in Place d'Armes, from 08:00 - 19:00. On this occasion, various associations in the field of special needs will tend information stands and offer demonstrations and workshops. These include demonstrations from RAHNA assistance dogs, cyclo-dance, workshops and demonstrations from Multi-(Handi)sport, Majorettes de Luxembourg, sign-mob, music by Jean Ziata, wheelchair basketball workshop and various sports.

Then, on Saturday 1 June, as part of the ING Marathon Luxembourg, there will be an inclusive Roll & Run race at Glacis field. Organised by the VdL in collaboration with the marathon organiser step by step, the association Back to Sport and various associations working in the field of special needs in the Grand Duchy, the event is open to persons not admitted to the regular race for safety reasons, in accordance with the official rules of the ING Night Marathon Luxembourg. This includes people with skateboards, rollerblades or scooters and parents with prams, as well as people in electric wheelchairs and other electric vehicles. The race, starting at 18:10, will take participants to the heart of the Limpertsberg district, along a 4.3 km or 8.6 km-long route, and will end at 19:24 with an "After Roll & Run Party".

Before the Roll & Run, Back to Sport and Cap2Sports are organising the TransArdenne Biking Heroes 2019, a sport for people with disabilities and inclusive team challenge that will take participants from Esneux to Belgium through three stages of hiking to Luxembourg-ville. Registration is open until 15 April via the TransArdenne Biking Heroes official website. The registration fee is €1,000 per team of three to four people.

Other activities organised as part of Special Needs Awareness Weeks include meals in the dark (five dinners in the dark during which participants will be guided through the meal by blind people), an exhibition at the Grand Théâtre, specific guided tours through the Luxembourg capital and its museums, a series of workshops and round tables and a free screening of James Marsh's "The Theory of Everything" (in German) on 22 May at Kinepolis Kirchberg.

There Conservatoire de la Ville de Luxembourg will also be hosting two charity concerts, on 18 May and 12 June respectively, as well as an "Inclusion" gala on 7 June, combining dance, music, theatre and poetry.

The full programme is available on the VdL website: semaines.vdl.lu.