Kursaal is the first Spanish congress centre to obtain the Ability Accessibility Certificate, while at the same time being chosen as a finalist in the Telefonica Ability Awards, after a gruelling selection process in which 48 companies were preselected from 450 candidates.
This certificate, which acknowledges those companies and organizations that have best integrated the disabled in their value chain, be they employees, suppliers and/or clients, has also been awarded to leading multinationals such as AENA, Microsoft, MRW, Repsol, Siemens, Paradores, ADIF, and Sol Melia. The only other Basque company in this select group, besides Kursaal, is Eroski.
These awards constitute an innovative initiative in Spain, since they acknowledge sustainable business models, with the inclusion of services geared to the disabled as a value.
After fulfilling all the requirements established in the terms and conditions of the awards, the second phase of the process involved an exhaustive self-diagnosis including the provision of documentary proof of the good practices implemented by the centre vis-à-vis the disabled.
The companies with the highest scores in the self-diagnosis were visited by PwC – the independent auditing agency – the results of these audits being fundamental for selecting the finalists. The award winners were then chosen by a panel of judges, including 30 personalities – including three ministers: Miguel Sebastian, Ramon Jauregui y Leire Pajin – and representatives from the academic world, the unions, and associations related to the disabled, as well as a number of business and civic associations.
On 17 January 2011, the winners of the Telefonica Ability Awards will be announced at a ceremony scheduled to be held in Madrid.
Kursaal only congress centre with Ability accessibility certificate
