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. 

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks and well wishes to our outgoing Editor, Hannah Casey who, since passing her viva, has taken the next step in her career as a Postdoctoral Researcher in DCU. Hannah’s work as an editor and contributor has been both invaluable and instrumental in expanding the profile and remit of the blog.

We also welcome a new member to the Editorial Team, Elodie Makhoul, who is also working as a Research Assistant on the DANCING Project. Elodie has an extensive and international academic background in law, with a particular interest in EU law, human rights, information technology and intersectionality. Elodie is the perfect edition to the blog team.

The diverse disciplinary background of the Editorial Team, alongside a wide range of blogpost contributions from our researchers discussed below, strongly echo the theme of this years’ Winter Symposium:

Advancing Perspectives on Wellbeing through Interdisciplinary Research’.

Our Editorial Team is immensely grateful to our network of contributors whose hard work and commitment to the Blog has enabled us to grow, expand and capture the opinions and analyses of individuals who share the core values of the ALL Institute. Our expanding network of authors, bolstered by some committed veteran-contributors, play an indispensable role in identifying the many social, environmental, technological, legal and policy barriers to full participation by all persons in society. Additionally, some of our contributors write through the lens of lived experience of such barriers and are at the forefront of the fight for equality and participation. This is particularly relevant, as the events of the past four years have shown us that technological development is not synonymous with an improvement in human rights or inclusion. Thus, this knowledge lends greater relevance than ever to the topicality and mission of the Blog and reinforces the message that an inclusive society free of social, legal, policy or technological barriers to participation, must be tirelessly fought for.  

To this end, we welcome blogposts from a variety of expert contributors who lend their expertise and wealth of knowledge to this years’ symposium. Amongst these blogposts are five fantastic contributions from Alessia Paladino, Elodie Makhoul, Roberta Esposito, Luke McKenna,  Rachel McGetrick and Dr Blanca Suarez-Bilbao. Alessia Paladino is a Research Assistant in the ALL Institute working on the DANCING Project and her blogpost focuses on enhancing access to culture for persons with disabilities and supporting their wellbeing. Elodie Makhoul is a Maynooth University alumnus and she offers some very interesting insights into the DANCING Project discussing the important nexus between culture and wellbeing and the role of the EU.

Luke McKenna discusses the critical necessity for increased availability of universally accessible products and emphasises the need for manufacturers to incorporate Universal Design and Design for All concepts in product design and development. This post highlights the ongoing work ALL blog contributors are undertaking to improve the lives of the wider populations.  

Rachel McGetrick and Dr Blanca Suarez-Bilbao shine the spotlight on wellbeing in research. They discuss the PROMOTE and PATHWAYS projects. The PROMOTE project is designed to reshape how early-career researchers navigate academic life and provides a digital platform where they can connect, access resources and share opportunities such as funding, publications and networking events. The PATHWAYS project explores why some researchers leave their field while others persist, and it aims to identify the opportunities and challenges that shape their career paths. 

Our symposium also includes a note from the Directors of the ALL Institute to mark the end of another successful year of work in advancing the core mission of ALL, enhancing the scholarly output and societal impact of the Institute.

While this symposium covers the work of ALL members, our editors have been reflecting on their own learnings from the past year as a result of their engagement with ALL, hence our theme for this symposium ‘Advancing Perspectives on Wellbeing through Interdisciplinary Research’, a common thread that can be seen from each of our showcased blogs. As members of the editing team, the exposure to the variety of blogposts over the year has shown the overall growth of the ALL Community and the potential for interdisciplinary collaboration. As members of the ALL Institute ourselves, being part of the editorial team for the blog has allowed us to further embody its ethos- striving to ensure that all people across their lives have the support and opportunity to participate fully across the life course. This along with the key goals of the blog– inclusivity, accessibility, respect for diversity, and participation is what drives our team to continue to search for and solicit regular contributions to highlight the diversity of approach and wealth of knowledge within our ALL community. With that in mind, please enjoy the fantastic contributions of each of our symposium writers, and join us once again in saying a big happy birthday to the ALL Blog! 

4th Anniversary Symposium poster with Ideas in ALL blog website details, ALL & Maynooth University Logo. ALL Celtic Knot and 2 decorative images

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.

The current prevailing ethos in the design and manufacturing world is still predominantly hostile to the core ideas of universal accessibility. Able-bodied, economically active and generally younger users are primarily considered when designing and manufacturing most modern products such as digital technologies, wearable devices, entertainment systems and so forth. Many private sector companies are reluctant to adopt additional accessibility specifications that they believe will increase the costs of product design, development, testing and manufacturing.

These profit-driven ideologies have not only obstructed the progression of universal accessibility in product design, but have also potentially withheld greater success from the companies themselves – Wouldn’t a company who designs and manufactures universally accessible products have potential to be incredibly successful?

Universally designed products receive increased use and enjoy greater levels of user satisfaction due to their accessible and simplistic nature, future-proof design, and broader appeal. With this in mind, why then would universally designed products be an off-putting concept for manufacturers?

Ronald Lawrence Mace (1942 – 1998) was an American product designer, architect, educator and consultant who coined the term ‘Universal Design’ (UD).

Mace defined it by saying, “Universal design is design that is usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.” After contracting polio as a child, Mace became a lifelong wheelchair user. As a person with a disability, Mace used his passion for architecture and product design alongside his tireless advocacy to push for legislative change in his native North Carolina, USA, and establish the first legal standards for accessible buildings and houses. He established the Center for Universal Design (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Center’), at the School of Design at North Carolina State University where we worked as a research professor.

The Center was said to be “a leading national and international resource for research and information on universal design in housing, products, and the built environment.”

As of now, the Center is not currently active due to lack of federal funding – this, unfortunately, is evidence of persistent disregard of UD in modern times.

Mace’s hard work and advocacy on UD eventually contributed to an international definition of the concept being enshrined within the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Convention), Article 2 on ‘Definitions’: Universal design” means 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. “Universal design” shall not exclude assistive devices for particular groups of persons with disabilities where this is needed.

The European Commission’s Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021 – 2030 advocates “mainstreaming the Universal Design approach for better accessibility and provision of reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities into all actions.” This builds upon the Commission’s emphasis on promoting the ‘Design for All’ (DFA) approach to product design so that manufacturers will “design, develop and provide products, goods and services so that they can be accessed, understood and used by the widest range of users, including persons with disabilities”.

To make enabling and accessible products, it is a designer’s duty to alter traditional approaches to design methods that are disabling for older people and persons with disabilities. With a UD and DFA-oriented design process, not only would new production lines and systems be invented, but products already manufactured at scale would have necessary solutions applied to them, saving manufacturers from entirely new production requirements, and therefore costs.

There is no denying that this throws up some practical challenges for product designers.

However, with extensive research in service design, modern technologies, 3D CAD software, AI and a holistic DFA ethos, it is not only practical, but economical to provide a globalised society with a ubiquitous and comprehensive standard of UD for accessible products, devices, and services.

Abiding by UD also ‘future-proofs’ products and services as they can be designed to accommodate diversifying populations (ageing, disability and multicultural groups), evolving regulations (accessibility laws and guidelines), sustainability (adaptable, long-lasting materials and robust designs) and lifelong usability of products for people irrespective of their age and ability.

By generating the necessary political will and social advocacy, like Ronald Lawrence Mace, it is possible to develop new policies and legal standards for UD and DFA measures in product designs and related services, and set new high quality universal accessibility standards for the manufacturing industry at large.

At the start, I said that the purpose of a product designer is to identify a problem and provide a solution. The problem has been identified; it is now time for us to solve it. Striving for inclusivity, accessibility, usability, and for the good of all. The time for change in design has come. The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves.

Luke McKenna smiling with curly hair and wearing a black hoodie
Luke McKenna

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.

To address these issues, the PROMOTE project, funded by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and supported by the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics, is creating an inclusive environment for researchers – particularly those early in their careers. Led by Dr. Katriona O’Sullivan and Dr. Marian Crowley-Henry – with team members Christine O’Sullivan (Project Manager), Dr. Blanca Suarez-Bilbao (Postdoctoral Researcher/Community Manager), and PhD students Neasa Boyle and Rachel McGettrick, PROMOTE prioritizes researchers’ wellbeing to empower their work.

PROMOTE: A New Approach to Research Careers

PROMOTE is transforming the way early-career researchers navigate academic life. Central to the project is the PROMOTE app, a digital platform where researchers can connect, access resources, and share opportunities such as funding, publications, and networking events. Alongside this, PROMOTE conducts workshops at partner universities – Maynooth University, University of Limerick, South-East Technological University (SETU), and Munster Technological University (MTU) – to equip researchers with practical skills like writing narrative CVs and applying for funding. This approach emphasizes well-being as integral to a successful career, recognizing that personal and professional growth are interconnected.

Christine O’Sullivan, Dr. Marian Crowley-Henry, and Dr. Katriona O’Sullivan at a PROMOTE workshop.

Recognising Barriers to Well-being

Beyond structural issues, early-career researchers face personal challenges that can hinder their well-being, including feelings of isolation, lack of confidence, and boreout – a state of disengagement that can arise from the sometimes solitary, repetitive nature of research work, and the general lack of clear pathways for career advancement. PROMOTE fosters a sense of community and well-being to combat these barriers, helping researchers reconnect with their work’s purpose. The initiative also targets systemic inequities by supporting women and researchers facing additional challenges, such as disabilities or socio-economic disadvantages. By valuing diverse perspectives, PROMOTE ensures all researchers feel included.

Collaboration is key. Researchers of all genders and career stages are encouraged to get involved by following PROMOTE’s social media channels and signing up to the PROMOTE platform. By engaging this online community, the project fosters the idea of shared learning and mutual support, enriching the research experience and enhancing the well-being of researchers. Workshops and peer support empower researchers to tackle academic and personal challenges alike, contributing to their overall well-being and resilience in the face of barriers.

Feedback from Attendees:

PROMOTE events have received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with attendees praising the supportive and engaging atmosphere they experienced. Attendees have appreciated the opportunity to connect, share experiences, and learn from others in academia. One participant noted, “I liked listening to women talk about their experiences; it made me feel less alone.” Others remarked on the collaborative spirit, saying, “Meeting everyone at different stages of their careers willing to help and support each other,” and the empowering energy of the events: “Feeling a lot more empowered walking out than walking in.” The initiative has also normalized discussing the challenges of academic life, with one attendee affirming, “Vulnerability is normal in academia.” These reflections underscore PROMOTE’s impact in fostering a welcoming and empowering space for early-career researchers – in turn contributing to their well-being.

Building on the Foundation: Introducing the PATHWAYS Project

The PATHWAYS project, another collaboration between Dr. Katriona O’Sullivan and Dr. Marian Crowley-Henry, alongside Rachel McGettrick and Dr. Blanca Suarez-Bilbao, builds on PROMOTE’s foundation to explore the complexities of academic careers in Ireland. This initiative focuses on understanding the research landscape, with particular attention to early-career researchers, who often face precarious conditions such as short-term contracts and limited career security.

PATHWAYS aims to uncover why some researchers leave the field while others persist, and to identify the opportunities and challenges shaping their career paths. A key objective of the project is to create Ireland’s first national dataset on research career demographics and trajectories. Currently in its data collection phase, PATHWAYS welcomes new participants to contribute to this effort. This open resource will support further studies and provide a nuanced understanding of the research landscape in Ireland.

Fostering Well-Being Through Inclusion

PATHWAYS emphasizes a commitment to creating a supportive environment where researchers from all backgrounds can thrive. By spotlighting the voices of early-career researchers, the project highlights the importance of shared experiences and collective learning. This approach echoes PROMOTE’s ethos of normalizing vulnerability, sharing challenges, and ensuring no one feels isolated. As a PROMOTE attendee remarked, “We’re all women, and we all struggle—we’re not alone in fighting this.” Such insights underscore the transformative potential of such initiatives to promote resilience and well-being in academia.

Aligning with Our Values: Impact and Contribution

The PROMOTE and PATHWAYS projects are deeply aligned in the ALL Institute’s core commitment to inclusion and broad participation. These projects go beyond identifying challenges; they actively contribute to reshaping policies and practices to foster a more equitable and supportive environment for all researchers, particularly women and those facing systemic barriers.

By prioritizing well-being and emphasizing diversity, these projects recognise the importance of personal and professional growth as interconnected elements of a fulfilling research career. Through this work, we are paving the way for a research landscape that mirrors the diversity of our society and benefits from the active participation of all its members.

If you’re a researcher in Ireland, remember: your voice matters.

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.

In 2019, one in eight people worldwide lived with a mental health condition, mainly anxiety and depression ─ a statistic that has only worsened due to the high level of stress experienced by people across the globe during this time of crisis because of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic instability, ongoing conflicts, digitalisation, and climate change. The perception of mental health as a concern has increased significantly since the pandemic began. In the European Union (EU), even before the COVID-19 pandemic, one in six people suffered from mental health conditions. As of today, this situation has deteriorated, particularly among vulnerable groups. The 29 Country Health Profiles, covering all EU Member States, plus Iceland and Norway, show an uneven distribution of mental health problems. In fact, women (not least in their role as informal carers), population groups with lower socioeconomic status and education levels, and people suffering from chronic conditions are at higher risk of developing mental health problems.

Usually, when I present or discuss my research, I start by asking what comes to mind when thinking about “mental health”. In fact, reading books, newspapers, watching TV or listening to podcasts, we generally think about “mental health” in a meaning similar to the definition drafted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2001, according to which mental health is “[a] state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”. Yet, the concept of mental health has historically and specifically been intended to concern (and protect) individuals with mental illnesses. Despite growing awareness, the response to mental health needs by governments across the globe has largely focused on the treatment of the ill rather than the prevention of the illness.

Roberta Esposito with short brown hair and wearing a blue shirt

The idea of mental health as a human right “for everyone” is enshrined, more or less explicitly, in international and regional human rights systems (and related legal frameworks), though it has evidently not been fully achieved. An international human rights system with universal application has been developed under the auspices of the United Nations. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) (1948) lays the groundwork for the right to health and well-being in Article 25(1), which guarantees an adequate standard of living for health and well-being. While the UDHR itself is not legally binding, it has heavily influenced subsequent international and regional treaties, as well as national constitutions (among others, Schabas, 2021; Hannum, 1996). More directly relevant are
the WHO Constitution (1946), which states in its Preamble that “[h]ealth is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) (1966), which is binding on its state parties and explicitly requires the recognition and full realisation of  “the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health” under Article 12.
The EU Member States are parties to both treaties.

Though the European integration began with predominately economic focus, human rights became increasingly important from the late 1960s onward (Wouters and Ovadek, 2021). Thus, here we consider the EU as one of the human rights regional systems in Europe (geographically speaking), and therefore its primary law. This includes the aim to promote the well-being of its peoples (Article 3 of the Treaty on the European Union) (TEU) (Lisbon Treaty, 2007), as well as the social clause to act taking into account the protection of human health (Article 9 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) (Lisbon Treaty, 2007). Hence, the TFEU provides the EU with a dual nature of competences in health: Article 4(2)(k) grants the EU shared competences in addressing “common safety concerns in public health matters”; while Article 6(a) provides it with supplementary competences in the “protection and improvement of human health”. That twofold aspect of EU competences is mirrored in the words of Article 168(1) TFEU, which specifies that a “high level of human health protection shall be ensured in the definition and implementation of all Union policies and activities”, allowing the EU to adopt different types of measures depending on the specific health issue at hand. More precisely, Article 168(1) also mandates the EU to complement national policies in preventing mental illnesses and eliminating dangers to mental health. Additionally, this legal setting  includes the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (CFREU) (2000), which states in Article 3(1) “[e]veryone has the right to respect for his or her physical and mental integrity” and in Article 35 recognises “the right of access to preventive health care and the right to benefit from medical treatment under the conditions established by national laws and practices” for everyone.

Focusing on EU action, most of the EU competences in health are complementary to those of the Member States, and the primary legal basis for adopting health laws and policies is Article 168 of the TFEU. However, other articles have also been used to enact legislation that impact on, or regulate, certain aspects of health, such as Article 114 (internal market), Article 153 (social policy), and Articles 122 and 222 (solidarity), etc. Responsibility for healthcare is in the hands of Member States, as outlined in Article 168(7). As a result, the EU enhances national policies, encourages collaboration between Member States, and facilitates the exchange of best practices and knowledge. Among the most significant recent EU initiatives on mental health, the Communication on a comprehensive approach to mental health (2023) adopted by the former European Commission (EC) is noteworthy.

The inability of our current national mental health systems in the EU to address and meet the increased needs of the population is clear. According to a Eurobarometer survey on mental health (2023), one in two respondents across the EU declared to have experienced an emotional or psychosocial problem in the previous year; more than half of the respondents experiencing a mental health issue declared lack of help from a professional. What emerged demonstrates that, due to various factors, including the EU’s imperfect competences on the matter, limited harmonisation across the EU-27, and the variability in the implementation of mental health policies among them, more and urgent actions are needed to put mental health first throughout the EU.

The re-elected EC President von der Leyen, in her Political Guidelines 2024-2029, presented to the European Parliament on the day of her election, has cited mental health and well-being in four key points: she underlined the urgent need to “step up our work on preventive health, in particular for mental health” to tackle what she has called “the greatest challenge in this decade”, placed a  focus on the mental health of children and youth, proposed initiatives to study the impacts of social media on well-being, and promised a new “Action Plan on the Implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights” which considers the impact of an “‘always on’ culture on people’s mental health”. Based on these Guidelines, the President, together with the new Commissioners, has defined the priorities of the new EC for 2024-2029, setting a unique” European social model aimed at delivering “wellbeing for everyone”.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, recently and aptly stated: “[i]nvesting in mental health is a human rights imperative that makes social and economic sense” as an enabler for sustainable investments (and development) that will be repaid many times over. Given the lesson learned from the COVID-19 pandemic (among others, McKee and de Ruijter, 2023; Alemanno, 2020) and the global call to action on mental health, the EU has a timely opportunity to lead by example as a global actor, translating words and ambitions into tangible and effective actions to treat mental health as the right it is, not merely as a political tool, seizing (and not missing) the chance to guide the Elephant out of the Room.

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.

While the definition of wellbeing is frequently debated, wellbeing is most often associated with health, both mental and physical, however, wellbeing can also manifest in various other ways. Indeed, Eurofound describes subjective wellbeing as how people perceive the quality of their lives, and overall happiness, pointing to an emotional assessment of how individuals might feel. Another vision of wellbeing could be assimilated to encompass social inclusion and cohesion. Over the past few years, a great amount of research has emerged, linking the impact of cultural life on wellbeing and the way in which engaging in cultural activities could lead to achieving a healthier life. The research argues that culture can positively impact various aspects such as physical health and mental health; social inclusion; subjective wellbeing; and even contribute to engaged, resilient communities.

According to a World Health Organisation Report, participating in culture such as arts-based activities can involve different types of engagement mechanisms that facilitate health and wellbeing outcomes. For example, the studies led by Culture for Health demonstrate that many different health-benefits can come out of cultural activities, such as:

music and singing, which would help alleviate stress and anxiety, and promote social engagement and connection;

dancing, which can foster social engagement and physical activity;

photography and film, good for stress-reduction and self-expression;

or even visiting heritage sites and museums which can play an important role for social inclusion and general knowledge.

Culture has the potential to be a great motor in building social cohesion, developing new means of communication and empowering people. Furthermore, while participating in culture can benefit the general public, cultural involvement, such as arts-based activities might actually be even more helpful for individuals with various physical or mental conditions. For example, a report by the What Words Centre for Wellbeing that focused on arts projects for people with clinically diagnosed mental health issues found that, ‘projects based on engaging with visual arts in non-clinical settings show that such engagement can be liberating, and transformative – in “normalising” ways – for participants’. The research was found to help reduce social isolation and improve confidence. Indeed, a huge aspect of human wellbeing lies in experiencing a sense of belonging by engaging in social spaces which encourages collaboration through art-based activities. 

Article 6 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU states that the Union only has supporting competence in the area of culture (and also in relation to health), however, it incorporates several initiatives to promote wellbeing, notably through culture. Indeed, €95.5 billion between 2021-2027 have been mobilised for EU funded Horizon Europe projects, some of which aim to stimulate innovation and the use of new technology but within the creative and cultural industries such as the New European Bauhaus, which is discussed in this symposium by Alessia Palladino. The EU has also placed a focus on access to culture for persons with disabilities, which is emerging as a distinct theme of cultural policy. As noted by Ferri and Subic in an article published back in 2022, this links to different objectives, one of them being ‘social inclusion’, and even more broadly, ‘wellbeing for all’. In that regard, the DANCING project which investigates the intersection of cultural participation of persons with disabilities and cultural diversity in the EU, recognises that upholding the right to participate in cultural life of persons with disabilities contributes to wellbeing of all and to better social cohesion. While this multifaceted and multilayered project has a distinct focus, it provides important findings such as that supporting the right to equal access to culture for people with disabilities, may further contribute to broader research on the role of culture in ensuring wellbeing for all in society.

DANCING Logo. t consists of the warm font Aller and loose hand-drawn lines. The lines symbolise the movement and diversity of performing artists; they are different shapes but complement each other when put together. The logo was created in various colours while keeping contrast in mind for accessibility.
DANCING Logo
ERC DANCING logo on the left, ERC funding and grant statement in the centre, ERC logo on the right.

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).

The NEB is an initiative introduced by the Commission in 2021 with the goal of fostering sustainable solutions to transform the built environment of the European Union (EU). It aims to create a new design that represents the paradigm shift required by the European Green Deal (EGD), which entails a set of policies and investments to make the EU carbon neutral by 2050. The NEB is a multifaceted tool and is informed by three core values: aesthetic, sustainability and inclusion. This blog, written within the remit of the DANCING project, argues that the NEB, in pursuing inclusion at large, can play an important role in enhancing access to culture for people with disabilities.

DANCING Logo. t consists of the warm font Aller and loose hand-drawn lines. The lines symbolise the movement and diversity of performing artists; they are different shapes but complement each other when put together. The logo was created in various colours while keeping contrast in mind for accessibility.
DANCING Logo

The right to participation in culture for persons with disabilities is explicitly provided in Article 30 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). This provision, which is at the core of the DANCING project, highlights the importance of access to culture and the role of people with disabilities in enriching culture and society. If read in conjunction with the principle of participation as well as with the other key rights elucidated in the CRPD, it is clear that access to culture empowers persons with disabilities and allows them to fully participate in community life. In that regard, cultural participation can also be seen as key to wellbeing, as sustained in the DANCING project.

Headshot of Alessia Paladino
Author: Alessia Paladino

When looking at access to culture, accessibility of the built environment is vital. Article 30 itself mentions the obligation of State parties to ensure “access to places for cultural performances or services such as theatres, museums, cinemas, libraries and tourism services, and, as far as possible […] access to monuments and sites of national cultural importance”. In that regard, it is argued that the new design of the NEB, as made explicit in the NEB’s tools and resources, can support the implementation of this obligation (and of the CRPD broadly).

The NEB is in fact consistent with the overall ethos of the CRPD in relation to participation of persons with disabilities in all decision-making process affecting them, in that it went through and also requires for future NEB initiatives a co-creation phase, in which different civil society representatives engage and manifest their needs. The NEB also embeds a Design for All approach, i.e. a specific type of design that grants buildings and objects to be usable by everyone to the greatest extent possible.

Besides a general approach that is consistent with the CRPD, the NEB focuses on the renovation of cultural buildings. The NEB’s tools and resources highlights that cultural buildings like museums, theatres, libraries and cultural centres are vital to enhance community engagement. Further, cultural buildings also have a relevant influence on the perception of the overall built environment, hence they can have an effect on how the remaining built environment will be designed. In fact, cultural buildings are often a landmark of a specific area, and they can have a deep cultural meaning for the local community. Hence, implementing the NEB can not only support renovation initiatives that grant everyone physical access to culture, but can also have a butterfly effect and influence other players to engage with inclusive and accessible building processes.

Finally, the link between culture and circular practices, makes accessibility strictly intertwined with another core value of the NEB, i.e. sustainability. A building that is suitable for a higher number of people is less likely to undergo other adjustments in the future, thus becoming more sustainable.

Being an initiative that started in 2021, the NEB has encompassed some projects that have been fully completed. Among these, there is the Multi-sensory Museum, a project that, in line with the NEB, bridges art and technology to achieve sustainability, beauty and social inclusion. This project brought together designers and people with disabilities to create a space that “draws the museum visitor in through all the senses” to express inclusion through architecture and provide a new way to experience a museum visit that is accessible to all. This project well-epitomises the importance of this EU initiative to enhance access to culture for persons with disabilities.

On the whole, the NEB has already played and could play a powerful role in enhancing access to culture for people with disabilities. It remains to be seen whether the new Commissioners will be able to leverage on the results that the NEB has achieved so far and further develop this initiative, which has a great potential to boost inclusion and well being of persons with disabilities.

ERC DANCING logo on the left, ERC funding and grant statement in the centre, ERC logo on the right.

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.  

As Co-Directors of the Assisting Living and Learning (ALL) Institute, we feel that this blog remains an important, bespoke outlet for sharing ALL’s multi- and interdisciplinary research. It offers an important platform for our members to highlight projects in an accessible and reader-friendly way and for stakeholders to reflect on current issues. The blog complements an array of initiatives that show first-hand how research can bring people together, effect change and actually contribute to wellbeing of society at large. ALL has been proud to support events such as Prof. Aisling MacMahon’s seminar on Hospital Exemption Pathway and personalised cancer therapies, and to launch a new series of talks , the ‘Tell ALL Talks’, to discuss groundbreaking contemporary projects, sparking new collaborations and deepening existing connections.

As 2024 comes to an end, the yearly symposium is the latest evidence of how ALL, through new projects, multifaceted initiatives, mutual collaborations and programmes has engaged an array of different people in Europe and worldwide, and has championed research as a key driver of sustainable growth. This symposium shares our insights on how to support the breaking down of barriers to inclusion and build meaningful connections. It encourages a more robust approach to knowledge exchange and the strengthening of research that creates wellbeing, forging new connections across borders and disciplines. Hopefully, this symposium will also generate new ideas to continue addressing global challenges through research!

Seasons greetings to you! We look forward to sharing more research with you in 2025 and beyond!

 Delia Ferri, Deirdre Desmond, Mac MacLachlan


ALL Institute - Maynooth University

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.

Continue reading “Reflecting on a Journey of Meaningful Impact: Celebrating with the ALL-Institute”
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