WG2/WG3 Joint Training School – Equitable Cancer Prevention & Screening: Advancing Inclusion for People with Intellectual Disabilities – May 2025 – Dublin, Ireland
The conference Breaking Barriers: Enhancing Cancer Care for People with Intellectual Disabilities took place on 14 May 2025 and was attended by many participants of the training school.
The CUPID training school, titled “Equitable Cancer Prevention and Screening: Advancing Inclusion for People with Intellectual Disabilities” was organised by Working Group 2 and Working Group 3 of the COST Action CA21123. The training school was held at Trinity College Dublin on Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th May 2025. The training school presented an opportunity to bring together members from across Europe and beyond, with a shared commitment to promoting equitable access to cancer prevention and screening for people with intellectual disabilities. The training school had four objectives: 1) To bring people together from different working groups within the CUPID COST action, to gain practical skills, and awareness of methods, and frameworks that they can use or apply in their work; 2) Equip participants with knowledge on the organisational context and strategies for implementing equitable cancer prevention and screening programmes; 3) Examine how different health systems approach cancer prevention and screening, including policy that can impact on access and equity for people with Intellectual Disabilities, and 4) Develop recommendation from discussions to improve accessibility and participation in cancer screening programmes and cancer prevention initiatives for individuals with Intellectual Disabilities. Across the two days, there were 10 session which were either expert presentation, interactive workshops or collaborative discussions. In total, 48 individuals attended in-person, and 20 joined selected sessions online. As a result from the two days, a wealth of learning took place, and key recommendations for policy, practice and research were identified. Working Groups 2 and 3 plan to share the learning through the resources below, as well as future publications.
WG1 Training School – Advancing Equity in Cancer Prevention – September 2024 – Prague, Czech Republic
The CUPID Training School, organised by Working Group 1 of the COST Action CA21123, represented a significant opportunity to identify and address critical gaps in cancer prevention education. This initiative aimed to bring together essential stakeholders to identify both barriers and facilitators to equitable access to cancer prevention for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (PwIDD). To enhance knowledge acquisition, foster networking, and support early-career researchers, the focus was on ensuring the accessibility and cultural relevance of educational resources. The primary objective of this Training School was to raise awareness and empower PwIDD, their support persons, and health professionals through the provision of inclusive and accessible, easy-read resources that align with the World Health Organisation’s Guidelines for Cancer Prevention. The researchers employed a co-production approach, which is particularly valuable in cancer prevention programmes, as it enabled PwIDD to provide vital feedback and insights. Fifty-one individuals (n = 51) registered for the online sessions, while forty-three participants (n = 43) attended the Training School in person in Prague. Among these, ten (n= 10) PwIDD attended alongside their support persons, and five (n=5) early-career researchers actively participated in delivering presentations during the sessions. By involving PwIDD during the TS and in the evaluation of the TS, co-production fostered a sense of ownership, belonging, and empowerment. Easily understandable presentations and resources complemented this essential engagement, promoting autonomy and self-determination