This Ability 2026

From 17 to 20 September, This Ability, the event dedicated to disability as possibility, returns to Padua. The 2026 edition doubles its duration, expanding from two to four days of meetings, performances, sport and opportunities for discussion across Teatro Maddalene, Palazzo del Bo and Prato della Valle.

This year the event is dedicated to Claudia Frizzarin, diversity manager and activist for the rights of people with disabilities, who passed away last January and has been the driving force behind the initiative since 2024.

It begins on Thursday 17 September at Teatro Maddalene with the performance Un altro Mo(n)do, starring Ludovico Lancia and preceded by a tactile tour and a meeting dedicated to culture as a tool for inclusion.

On Friday 18 September, in the Aula Nievo of Palazzo del Bo, the discussion focuses on sport and disability, from competitive experiences to inclusion projects and the opportunities available locally. Saturday 19 September, meanwhile, features two in-depth sessions dedicated respectively to school, independent living and inclusion and to the relationship between disability and work, with testimonies, experts, and representatives of institutions, businesses and the University of Padua.

The event concludes on Sunday 20 September in Prato della Valle, from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., with the Percorso delle Abilità, the music festival Altri Suoni and the food village Bigoliamo con l’Opsa. In the afternoon, a Lego ramp bearing the words “A Claudia” will also be created together with girls and boys.

Accessibility services are provided for all events, including accessible transfer and LIS interpreters. This Ability is also supported by a contribution from Fondazione Cariparo.