Category: Symposium

Celebrating the Fourth Anniversary of the ‘Ideas in ALL Blog’ in the 2024 Winter Symposium; a Commentary from the Editorial Team 

Authors: Matthew McKenna, Cassandra Murphy, Neasa Boyle, Elodie Makhoul and Dr Opeyemi Kolawole 

Research Stream: Symposium

The Ideas in ALL Blog celebrated its fourth anniversary at the end of November 2024, marking four momentous years since its inception. The Blog has grown markedly over this timeframe, driven by a dedicated Editorial Team whose ranks are filled by researchers from a diverse variety of fields, reflecting the interdisciplinary ethos of the ALL Institute through a collective emphasis on inclusion, human rights, equality and accessibility. Though the membership of the Editorial Team has slowly changed over time, each participant has made their own invaluable contributions to the growth of the blog and has left an indelible imprint through their work, and in the connections they fostered with dedicated contributors from within, and outside of, the ALL Institute. This helped raise the profile of the ALL Institute by emphasising to the generalist audience the importance of the core values of social inclusion and participation for all persons in a transformational and digitalising society. 

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Accessible Products for All: Promoting Universal Accessibility in Product Design

Research Stream: Symposium

Author: Luke McKenna, Undergraduate Product Design Student, BSc in Product Design and Innovation, Department of Design Innovation, Maynooth University

I believe there is a very common misconception of what product design really is. It is not so much ‘designing a product’, but rather it is ‘identifying a problem’ and ‘providing a solution’, generally through means of design. This discipline has been around since the birth of mankind, from the first people shaping primitive tools and designing fish traps, to forging armour and eventually making bicycles. Although design techniques and manufacturing methods are the best and most efficient they have ever been, there is a vital problem which has not yet been solved – establishing universal accessibility as a compulsory principle of modern product design.

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Advancing Well-Being in Research: Spotlight on the PROMOTE and PATHWAYS Projects

Research Stream: Social Structures

Authors: Rachel McGettrick – PhD Student, Department of Psychology & ALL Institute, Maynooth University. Dr. Blanca Suarez-Bilbao – Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Business & ALL Institute, Maynooth University.

Why, in 2024, do women and early-career researchers still face barriers to entering, thriving, and staying in academic careers? Despite progress, gender inequality continues to cast a shadow over the research sector. Women frequently encounter substantial barriers in career advancement and remain underrepresented in leadership   roles within academia and research institutions. Women made up 41% of the EU’s 18 million scientists and engineers – and earned 16% less than men on average. Additionally, women were more likely to regard themselves as early career researchers for longer, and to be on part-time and/or fixed-term, hourly-paid and zero hours contracts, at a significantly higher rate than their male counterparts. These challenges, compounded by increasing pressures in academia, impact not only career progression but also researchers’ overall well-being.

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Caring for the Mind: A Chance for the Renewed EU Institutions to Take the Elephant Out of the Room

Research Stream: Symposium

Author: Roberta Esposito, Doctoral Course in Public, Criminal and International Law, University of Pavia, Recent Visiting PhD Researcher in ALL

On November 27th, Maynooth University (MU) unveiled the “Elephant in the Room” (EIR) sculpture. This initiative highlights the university’s commitment to promoting mental health and well-being, fostering an inclusive, safe, and positive campus culture. It serves as a poignant reminder to the entire academic community and society at large that mental health challenges can affect everyone. I started my professional journey at MU years ago and recently returned to the ALL Institute as a visiting PhD researcher to better structure my research project on the right to mental health. Always feeling, even from afar, part of this warm community, the MU’s initiative has been an occasion for me to reflect on how cumbersome this Elephant truly is.

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Culture, Wellbeing and the Role of the EU: Some Reflections from the DANCING Project

Research Stream: Symposium

Author: Elodie Makhoul, Research Assistant, Protecting the Right to Culture of Persons with Disabilities and Enhancing Cultural Diversity in EU Law: Exploring New Paths (DANCING) 

On November 14-15, Culture Action Europe, leader of the Culture and Health platform, an initiative funded by the European Union (EU), hosted a two full-day conference to discuss the potential for culture to support and benefit the health and wellbeing of people. This initiative epitomises the importance of culture for well-being and the role that the EU can play in ‘supporting artists working at the intersection of culture, health, and social sectors across Europe’. The platform responds to the recommendations of the CultureForHealth Report (2022), which indicates, inter alia, the need to support the role of culture for well-being and health as well as to map good practices.

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The Role of the New European Bauhaus in Enhancing Access to Culture for Persons With Disabilities and Supporting Their Wellbeing

Research Stream: Symposium

Author: Alessia Palladino, Research Assistant, Protecting the Right to Culture of Persons with Disabilities and Enhancing Cultural Diversity in EU Law: Exploring New Paths (DANCING)  

In her Mission Letters, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has entrusted the Commissioners Raffaele Fitto (Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reform), and Jessica Roswall (Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy) to further develop the New European Bauhaus (NEB).

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Celebrating the Fourth Anniversary of the ‘Ideas in ALL Blog’: A Note from ALL Co-Directors

Research Stream: Symposium

The year 2024 has seen several elections, new and old conflicts, and instability in many parts of the world. In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, global challenges have continued to grow. Our blog, set up on 3 December 2020, has given account of these challenges and has shown how interdisciplinary research be a powerful catalyst for change, bringing new hope and enhancing the wellbeing of people. In fact, well-being is the key word of this symposium which aims to showcase how our research, by shining a light on often neglected areas, such as mental health and social infrastructures, social services, cultural goods, and assistive technologies, addresses issues affecting our overall quality of life. In that regard, the yearly symposium (and the Ideas in All blog as a whole) situates at the cutting edge, tallying with the renewed scholarly attention to wellbeing from multiple disciplinary perspectives.  

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GoGreenRoutes: Accessible and Sustainable Futures

Authors: Kalyn Potter, Project Manager GoGreenRoutes, Department of Psychology and ALL Institute, and Maria Fernadez de Osso Fuentes, PhD Researcher All Institute and Department of Business

Research Stream: Symposium

In January 2021, the Horizon 2020 funded project, GoGreenRoutes, moved to Maynooth University under the coordination of Dr. Tadhg MacIntyre. As a large-scale multinational project at the nexus of human health, climate and equity, GoGreenRoutes is particularly aligned with ALL’s mission. We aim to address complex issues of how the environment impacts human health and sustainability, especially for disadvantaged groups and minority populations who typically have less access to urban green space.

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Developing the Campus as a Healthy Environment: The MU Healthy Campus Steering Group

Authors: Dr. Ronan Foley (Interim Chair) and Orlagh Eustace (MU Health Promotion Officer), Maynooth University and ALL Institute

Research Stream: Symposium

Following the national launch of the Healthy Campus Charter and Framework in 2021, Maynooth University committed to supporting the Charter and implementing the Framework across our university campus.

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Reflecting on a Journey of Meaningful Impact: Celebrating with the ALL-Institute

Author: Mohamed Maalim – PhD Researcher at the ALL Institute, Department of Psychology, Maynooth University, and Senior Occupational Therapist and Project Lead, Digital Assistive Technology at Stewartscare

Research Stream: Lived Experience

A pivotal milestone in the calendar approaches as we come to the end of November. An occasion meriting grand celebration – the ALL Institute marks its sixth anniversary, a landmark that coincides with the 3rd anniversary of its stirring initiative, the ‘Ideas in All’ Blog. As a former editorial team member, I was asked to reflect upon my association with the institute and share insights into my enduring journey with the ALL Institute and the ‘Ideas in All’ Blog.

I joined the ALL Institute, drawn in by its ethos of ensuring that everyone, regardless of their circumstances, has the support and opportunity to participate fully throughout their lives. This ethos was further embodied through the blog, focusing on inclusivity, accessibility, diversity, and participation.

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