Those that have been associated to the area of "Assistive Technology" in Europe for the last two decades might remember that the last of the ECART Conferences – the precursor of the AAATE Conferences - took place in Lisbon, Portugal in 1995. And it was during this ECART Conference that AAATE was officially created. Thus, in 2013 AAATE will commemorate its 18th anniversary, reaching the adult age. So we are pleased that Portugal is again the place where all involved in the field of Assistive Technology in Europe and abroad will gather again for the "12th European AAATE Conference" that will take place September 19 to 22, 2013 in Vilamoura, Portugal, in the Algarve region, one of the most beautiful areas of our country. One of the main objectives of the AAATE2013 Conference is to bring together researchers, professionals, manufacturers, end users and their families, and combine their knowledge, expertise, needs and expectations, contributing in a multidisciplinary way to the success of this meeting. This will be achieved not only by the presentation of papers during the two and a half days of the conference, but also through the participation in "Instructional Courses" and in a "Research Symposium" held immediately after the main Conference, a novel approach to contribute to the advancement of the field in Europe. Presentations contributing to the advancement of Assistive Technology (AT), not only in technological areas, but in all the fields closely related with this domain of knowledge - Education and Training, Service Provision, Research, Industry, Legislation – are strongly encouraged to be submitted to this Conference. Plenary sessions with invited speakers, experts in those different domains will be an important part of the Conference. A special emphasis will be given to the "European Accessibility Act" as we believe that this Act - now under public discussion all over Europe - can be of the utmost importance for the advancement of the field of AT in Europe, contributing for an European harmonized framework for accessible goods and services. Another area that will be given special relevance is Industry of AT. Manufacturers and providers of assistive technology products will have the opportunity not only to expose their products, but also to actively participate in special sessions and presentations, where the outcomes of their developments can be shown to the participants, leading to a more effective dialogue between manufacturers, researchers, developers, professionals and end users. We encourage engineers, therapists, teachers, social workers, service providers, researchers, manufacturers, end users and all those directly or indirectly involved in the field of AT, to participate and contribute to the advancement of this multidisciplinary area, so the outcomes of this Conference will help to improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities and older persons in Europe.