Irish Sign Language Version
Author: All Institute
International Day of Sign Languages: Promoting Sign Languages and Deaf Culture as part of Human Diversity
Audio Version
September 15th, United Nations International Day of Democracy: Enjoyment of Democratic Values and Freedoms by Persons with Disabilities
Social Structures
Author: Matthew McKenna, PhD Researcher at Maynooth University’s Assisting Living and Learning (ALL) Institute, Research Funded through the Science Foundation of Ireland (SFI) Centre for Research Training in Advanced Networks for Sustainable Societies (ADVANCE CRT)
The Council of Europe (2020) recalls that the word ‘Democracy’ ‘comes from the Greek words “demos“, meaning people, and “kratos“, meaning power; so democracy can be thought of as “power of the people”: a way of governing which depends upon the will of the people’.
Theories and models of democracy and ‘popular governance’ have manifested in innumerate social models and national socio-political dispositions of rule over millennia since the beginnings of ‘Athenian Democracy’ in the 5th Century BCE. The Greek Directorate of International Relations and European Union of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports (2020) provides the following synopsis of the origins of democratic rule that is cherished as part of the underpinning ethos of the favoured model of governance by the modern political establishment within the context of the socio-political order of the European Union (EU) of today: ‘Humans as autonomous entities in the context of organized society, the respect for their personality, freedoms and rights, were fundamental topics in the ancient Greek thought. From the Elegies of Solon (c. 630-560 BC) to the Democracy and Laws of Plato (428/7-348/7), the Politics of Aristotle (384-323/2 BC) and Demosthenes’ fiery speeches (384-323 / 2 BC), the ideas of justice, rule of law, decency, education, virtue and free thought stand out as key ingredients for the ideal regime’.
Continue reading “September 15th, United Nations International Day of Democracy: Enjoyment of Democratic Values and Freedoms by Persons with Disabilities”Ageism and Ableism: The Intersectional Discrimination Faced by Older Adults with Disabilities
Social Structures
Author: Matthew McKenna, PhD Researcher at Maynooth University’s Assisting Living and Learning Institute (ALL Institute)
In July 2019, the United Nations (UN) ‘Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’, said that:
‘The mainstreaming of the rights of older persons with disabilities into all disability and ageing-related policies and programmes is key to ensure that the concerns and needs of older persons with disabilities are adequately addressed’.
However, older persons with disabilities face an intersectional form of discrimination within the European Union (EU), which derives from the intersection of ‘ableism’ and ‘ageism’. People within the EU are now living longer than ever before, with 101.1 million people aged 65 or over residing within the EU-27 in early 2018. Close to half of all persons over the age of 65 in the EU have some form of disability. Incidences of disability in old age, especially acquired disability, increase substantially amongst individuals in older age categories and, as a result, older persons with disabilities are at increased risk of neglect, loss of supports, abuse and poverty, amongst other risks.
Continue reading “Ageism and Ableism: The Intersectional Discrimination Faced by Older Adults with Disabilities”SHAPES Project, Research Assistant Experience
Stories/Lived Experience
Author: Evelyn Soye, Research Assistant with the SHAPES Project (Department of Law and ALL Institute at Maynooth University)
According to European Commission’s Report on the Impact of Demographic Change, people aged over 65 account for the majority of the 50 million EU citizens who suffer from two or more chronic conditions. Meanwhile, it is estimated that demographic ageing in Europe will mean that the number of people aged 65 years and over will increase to almost 130 million by 2050. Therefore, although Europeans are living longer, increased lifespans can be associated with declining health and a greater prevalence of chronic disease and physical and cognitive impairments (UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2019).
SHAPES (Smart and Healthy Ageing through People Engaging in Supportive Systems) is an EU funded project working to develop a pan-European online platform that will provide a range of supports to older persons to facilitate their continued healthy and independent living. The project brings together thirty-six partner organisations and research institutions, across fourteen European countries, with expertise in health, social sciences, IT development, robotics, healthcare, care service provision and advocacy. Under the supervision of Prof. Delia Ferri, Co-Director of the ALL Institute, my role within SHAPES involves researching the relevant EU legal framework and investigating the extent to which it can best support the provision of inclusive, integrated health and care services.
Continue reading “SHAPES Project, Research Assistant Experience”Cost of Assistive Technology as a Barrier to Inclusion Through Sport
Social Structures
Author: Dr. Emma M. Smith, Postdoctoral Researcher, AT2030, ALL Institute, Department of Psychology, Maynooth University
This week, like many of our colleagues who work in the areas of disability and inclusion, we are anticipating the start of the Paralympic Games. Aligned with this, we are also celebrating the launch of #WeThe15, a global campaign to promote inclusion of persons with disabilities through engagement in sport. Participation in culture, including sport, is enshrined in Article 30 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We also have research which supports the concept that sports promote health and wellbeing through social inclusion, access to the community, and opportunities for physical activity.
Continue reading “Cost of Assistive Technology as a Barrier to Inclusion Through Sport”Promoting Engagement in Sport for Persons with Disabilities Through Assistive Technology
Social Lives
Authors: Dr. Emma Smith, Postdoctoral Researcher, AT2030, ALL Institute, Department of Psychology, Maynooth University and Ana Geppert, Masters student of Global Health at VU Amsterdam, intern with the ALL Institute at Maynooth University, in partnership with Loughborough University.
In celebration of the launch of the #WeThe15 campaign; the largest ever global human rights campaign to increase awareness and social inclusion of people with disabilities through sport, we would like to share some of our recent research in the area. #WeThe15 is an acknowledgement that at least 15% of the world population – over 1 billion people – live with one or more disabilities, each of whom is entitled to all of the rights and freedoms, and the benefits of social inclusion experienced by people without disabilities worldwide. Of those rights affirmed in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Participation in cultural life, recreation, leisure, and sport (Article 30) is one that we have had a recent focus on in our work.
Continue reading “Promoting Engagement in Sport for Persons with Disabilities Through Assistive Technology”Adaptive Fashion: An Instrument to Enhance Independent Living and Self-Confidence of Persons with Physical Disabilities
Social Structures
Author: Francesca Albi, J.D. Candidate – Università degli Studi di Verona (Italy)
Accessibility is one of the general principles embodied in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and it is explicitly affirmed by Article 3 (f), Article 9 and other provisions of the Convention. Accessibility must be understood as “the right to use goods, services and facilities available to the public without discrimination, and obtain an equal benefit from them” (Broderick and Ferri, 2019, p. 140). Accordingly, accessibility is strictly linked to the concept of “universal design”, which is an expression of the paradigm-shift embraced by the CRPD (Cera, 2017, pp. 107-118) and which is defined in Article 2 of the CRPD as the “design of products, environments, programmes and services to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design”.
Continue reading “Adaptive Fashion: An Instrument to Enhance Independent Living and Self-Confidence of Persons with Physical Disabilities”No More Stolen Sisters
Social Structures
Authors: Gerard Maguire – Nottingham Trent University, DSA Ireland & Katie Donnellan – Maynooth University
The 2021 International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples will focus on the theme “Leaving no one behind: Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract” and takes place on the 9th of August. Various groups and peoples are redesigning a new social contract that serves the interest of “We, the peoples”, as per the preamble of the United Nations Charter. However, it appears that in certain instances, there are some people being left behind. The plight of Indigenous Women in the United States (US) and Canada is one that receives little attention or media spotlight. The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) is a human-rights crisis that disproportionately affects Indigenous Peoples in the US and Canada.
Continue reading “No More Stolen Sisters”Sexuality, disability, and the law: a call for action
Debates
Author: Carla Maria Reale- post-doctoral researcher at Faculty of Law, University of Trento (Italy)
Original Post: The Loud Silence on Disability and Sexuality; My perspective. by Mohamed Maalim
Addressing the topic of sexuality and disability means uncovering issues capable of questioning our stereotypes, our bodies, the construction of our desires, and our ideas on desirability. Sexuality is an issue that touches the core of our relational selves, of our identities as persons. Anne Finger, a prominent writer, and disability activist, defined sexuality for people with disabilities as “the source of our deepest oppression; (…) the source of our deepest pain.” (Finger, 1992).
In a post published on this blog, while discussing sexuality and disability from a psychological/social perspective, Mohamed Maalim used the expression “loud silence”. I was deeply moved by these words, as the same loud silence dominates the legal sphere of sexuality and disability as well.
This short post has the purpose of engaging in an interdisciplinary dialogue, to better understand how, from different perspectives, scholars, activists, and professionals can create a positive approach to and constructive debate on people with disabilities’ sexualities.
Continue reading “Sexuality, disability, and the law: a call for action”