AISM, Italian Multiple Sclerosis Society

AISM (Italian Multiple Sclerosis Society, www.aism.it) is an NGO, Non-Profit organisation, active in Italy since 1968. The mission of AISM is to ensure that people with MS, together with their families, are guaranteed the rights to a good quality of life and full social integration. AISM is dedicated to people with MS providing scientific research, services and support, information and advocacy. AISM together with its research foundation, FISM, is also one of the largest private funding body of MS research in the world, together with MS Societies in the USA, Canada and UK. As a way to guarantee the social inclusion of people with disabilities, since 2000 AISM is also fully active in the field of Accessible Tourism, with an accessible hotel in Tuscany (www.igirasoli.ar.it), a network of apartments in 4 Italian regions, a Tour Operator (www.europewithoutbarriers.eu) and MICE activities. AISM is also Board Member of ENAT (European Network for Accessible Tourism).

AISM places great importance on the RIGHTS of people with MS in order to assure their full inclusion in society. The efforts of women and men, young people, activists, volunteers (about 10.000 all over Italy), members, scientists, donors, healthcare professions and every other stakeholder who has been in contact with AISM is to improve the quality of life of people with MS and those with other illnesses, disabilities and access needs. A way to achieve this result is the reason why AISM implemeted a full range of tourism activities, from accommodation (hotel and apartments) to training, from MICE to consultancy, from creation of accessible itineraries to a Tour Operator. These experiences allowed AISM and its extensive network to play the role of coordinator within the IN-TOUR project, with an active role in each phase and work package of the project, from skill assessment to curricula design, from training to dissemination, from quality assurance to evaluation of results.