The award ceremony took place at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on 13 March, on the sidelines of the "Celebrating Inclusion in Education Forum" event as part of the celebrations for the 30th anniversary of the Salamanca Declaration, an initiative of IFIP - International Forums of Inclusion Practioners.
Portuguese designer Miguel Neiva, creator of the ColorADD colour identification system for the colour blind, received the award from the ColorADD organisation, whose mission is to make this language that identifies colours available to 350 million colour blind people around the world. This system, which is unique worldwide, has an integrative, innovative character and a strong social impact, and is already present in more than 90 countries. The multisectoral nature of this language means that it doesn't need a cultural, social or linguistic context to be understood and implemented in any geography, in areas as diverse as public transport, textiles, gaming, education, sports, hospitals and healthcare, among countless others, whenever it is essential to identify colour in terms of information, orientation or choice, guaranteeing absolute universal accessibility for people with colour blindness.
The Global Inclusion Awards represent a significant step forward in promoting inclusion on an international scale. This honour, promoted by IFIP - International Forums of Inclusion Practitioners,serves as a unifying platform that presents the best inclusion strategies in individual sectors, but also draws inspiration from the most diverse areas and inclusion projects worldwide.
It's not just about celebrating the winner of a single category, but encouraging and promoting exceptional integration practices and, most importantly, sharing them so that society worldwide can learn how to achieve solid levels of inclusion effectively and promote this shared global aspiration.
In the words of the creator of the colour identification system for the colour blind, Miguel Neiva, "For ColorADD, this distinction is a source of great pride, but an even greater reinforcement of the responsibility that drives us. Since it is not possible to identify 350 million colour-blind people, the great challenge is to take the solution to the world, integrating without discriminating, making society present the solution to those who need it. In this way, the undeniable Power of Colour will reach Everyone for Everyone, because Colour is for Everyone!"
The Global Inclusion Awards 2024 honoured the most diverse institutions and projects from all five continents, with ColorADD being the only representation from Portugal.
