Excitement in the Obradoiro: Irene Villa leads the 21st Edition of the Adapted and Inclusive Path
Santiago de Compostela, October 13, 2025 – The Plaza del Obradoiro became the scene of an emotional culmination this Monday, welcoming the participants of the twenty-first edition of the Adapted and Inclusive Camino de Santiago, organized by the Also Foundation. At the head of the expedition, the renowned journalist and psychologist Irene Villa She celebrated her tenth Camino, an experience that she herself describes as “spiritual, emotional and sporting.”
«Very excited to be doing my tenth Camino de Santiago with people with disabilities; Like every year, I entered the Plaza del Obradoiro crying my eyes out," acknowledged Villa, whose words were collected by EFE after completing the last stage. On the verge of marking 34 years since the ETA attack that marked her life, the journalist highlighted the moving reception: "It is still very emotional that the square falls in applause every time we arrive."
A Path of Improvement and Normalization
The expedition, which covered about 60 kilometers in three short stages since last Friday, brought together people of all ages and with various disabilities. Irene Villa emphasized the importance of this initiative: “This year there are girls who recently had both legs amputated like me when I was twelve, also another child with cerebral palsy and another who is blind, and to see that they have also completed all the stages of the Camino is very exciting.”
Irene Villa completed the route in handbike, a hand-powered bicycle, and reiterated the Foundation's central message: “We need to normalize disability and be able to do what everyone else does.” This phrase encapsulates the essence of a path that transcends the physical to become a powerful symbol of inclusion and capacity.
Advances and a “Energy Boost” on the Road
Carlos Rolandi, general director of the Also Foundation, expressed the profound impact of this experience. «For them it is an immense joy to get here; "It is a marvel of coexistence," said Rolandi, who profusely thanked the warm welcome from the public and the collaboration of other pilgrims, both national and international.
Rolandi also recalled the great progress in accessibility and inclusion that the Camino has experienced in the last two decades. «Unthinkable when we started and did the first stage. Today it is a luxury, because the first time we traveled 40 kilometers without finding a single bar with an adapted bathroom,” he noted, illustrating the significant progress in infrastructure and mentality towards disability.
The Also Foundation, with more than 20 years dedicated to promoting inclusion through sports and adapted leisure, closes a new edition of the Adapted Path with a balance of success, coexistence and hope. As Irene Villa concludes, the “certainty that the true miracle of the Camino is discovering that we are all capable of reaching it, even if the journey is different” resonates as a powerful message for everyone.
