ALED celebrates its 40th anniversary! It all began in 1973, when a woman from England became the first occupational therapist working in pediatrics in Luxembourg. She was followed in 1978 by a French woman, who started working at the Center for Functional Rehabilitation and Reintegration in Hamm. In September 1985, several occupational therapists in the Grand Duchy came together under the chairmanship of M. Schneider to form the Association Luxembourgeoise des Ergothérapeutes Diplômés (ALED a.s.b.l.). At that time, the association had fifteen members, eleven of them were actively working as occupational therapists.
Although we are a small organisation, we are proud to have been an associate member of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) since 1990. A significant moment in our development came in 2020, when we were delighted to welcome our 100th member. This milestone clearly shows how much our community has grown.
ALED is actively committed to increasing the visibility and recognition of the occupational therapy profession in Luxembourg. To give young people an insight into our diverse fields of activity, we regularly present our work in high schools. We also use social media to show how important occupational therapy is. Another key aspect of our association is the ongoing dialogue with the Ministry of Health. After all, the relevance and value of our profession can only be strengthened in the long term through close cooperation with political decision-makers.
This year, in 2025, ALED is celebrating its 40th anniversary! To mark this special occasion, we are updating the name of our association to reflect current developments in the profession. The “D” in ALED stands for Diplômés (graduates with a diploma), but this designation is no longer up to date since the introduction of the bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy.
From 2026 onwards, we will therefore operate under our new name: ALE – Association Luxembourgeoise des Ergothérapeutes, and we will continue to advocate for occupational therapy in Luxembourg with pride, clarity, and a future-oriented vision.