A Note from the Editors of the Ideas-In-ALL Blog to Start the Semester 

Research Stream: Editorial

Editorial Team: Cassandra Murphy, Hannah Casey, Matthew McKenna, Neasa Boyle 

After a brief, restorative hiatus over the summer months, the blog has now returned full time and is ready to once again highlight and facilitate the communication of strong, important research happening in the ALL community. As always, we aim to share knowledge that best encapsulates our ethos, a task that is made all the more possible by the diverse and exciting range of projects under the ALL Institute banner.

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As always, we look forward to hearing from the researchers behind these projects, who have historically contributed generously to us, both in our regular postings, and across our three symposiums, the fourth of which will be posted this coming December. We have been fortunate enough to witness the progress of these projects over the last four years and look forward to doing so again by affording researchers the opportunity to submit posts to us, in which they tell us about their ongoing achievements in their own words. Therefore, as we enter a new academic year, we the editors wish to drop our readers a brief note to highlight the continued excellence of the ALL Institute, and to give a brief overview of the work that we hope to feature on the blog in the coming months. 

To this end, the remit of the ALL Institute continues to expand, forging strategic connections across a diverse network of professional researchers and organisations. It incorporates a synergistic array of state-of-the-art research projects that, at their core, seek to promote person-centred and inclusive digital, social and technological development into the future.  

In the words of the ALL Institute, “We work across disciplines, sectors and while remaining committed to independent research, we collaborate with civil society, policy makers, industry, intergovernmental organizations, United Nations agencies and most particularly individuals, especially those belonging to different marginalised groups”. 

Principles of inclusivity, human rights, accessibility, respect for diversity and equal participation guide the research projects taking place at ALL Institute. Flagship projects include, ADVANCE CRT, AT 2030, ERC Project DANCING, Digital Wealth, Global Collaboration on Assistive Technology (GATE), GoGreenRoutes, PatentsInHumans, ReCreating Europe, SHAPES, STEM Passport for Inclusion that well epitomize the ALL ethos and mission to advance accessibility, equality and human rights for all persons in a digitalising society. Two of the above projects, ReCreating Europe and SHAPES, have recently concluded, bringing together years of invaluable work while furthering and strengthening the mission and impact of the ALL Institute in the process. 

In the space of a few years, the Ideas-in-ALL blog has helped to significantly enhance the public profile of the ALL Institute. The blog complements the work of the ALL Institute and continues to raise awareness of the importance of ensuring that person-centredness, human rights and inclusivity underpins technological advancement and digitalisation in our societies. As such, the blog provides a platform for our diverse array of partners to draw attention to, and explain in straightforward terms, the importance of each research project and initiative taking place in ALL. Invaluable blogpost contributions from ALL members, external stakeholders and independent voluntary submissions, have greatly enhanced general civic interest in the work of the ALL Institute.  

We look forward to continuing to hear the voices from the wide variety of projects ongoing within the institute, alongside potential posts from those which have recently concluded or that are coming towards the end of their journey. We strive to provide learning experiences for all, so hearing from PIs and researchers working on these successful projects helps to develop best practice principles in our own research and contributes to the generation of new ideas and collaborations. As a group our aspiration is to engage more external stakeholders in the blog process, hearing from those who are directly impacted by our research and exploring the beneficial nature of what we do as an Institute. We have some exciting posts coming up from several of our ongoing projects so stay tuned.  

We appreciate your engagement with our posts as we continue to share commentary on the intersection between our principles and the wonderful research activities happening internally within the ALL Institute and externally with our partners.  ALL Institute - Maynooth University

My Experience as Project Manager of DANCING… Some Personal Reflections on the First Four Years

Research Stream: Social Lives

Author: Hilary Hooks, Project Manager, Protecting the Right to Culture of Persons with Disabilities and Enhancing Cultural Diversity in EU Law: Exploring New Paths (DANCING) Project

As the Project Manager for the ERC-funded DANCING Project, led by PI, Prof. Delia Ferri, my role has been to manage the project’s administrative and operational aspects and supporting the PI in ensuring that the project stayed on track with its key milestones.

I have endeavoured to create a robust project management framework. This involved developing a suite of tools, including a spreadsheet to track finances, another to track project activities and deliverables and another to record meetings—ensuring that we met all milestones efficiently. With a project of this scale, managing a €2 million budget requires close attention, and by working closely with other university offices, I ensured compliance with all relevant regulations. The administrative side of the project is complex and involves coordinating with multiple university offices, as well as external entities like graphic designers, filmmakers, and dance companies, the latter two through a tendering process. By managing these details, I freed up our researchers to focus on their work without worrying about the operational hurdles.

Continue reading “My Experience as Project Manager of DANCING… Some Personal Reflections on the First Four Years”

‘Lived Fiction’ Goes on Stage: Reflecting on a Major Milestone for the DANCING Project and the Collaboration with Stopgap 

Research Stream: Stories / Lived Experiences 

Author: Eva Krolla Research Assistant DANCING, in dialogue with Professor Delia Ferri and Lucy Glover, Executive Producer at Stopgap Dance Company 

Image on the left shows Eva Krolla smiling and wearing white, image in the centre shows Professor Delia Ferri smiling and wearing black, image on the right shows Lucy Glover smiling and wearing navy.

On 11th April, the contemporary dance piece ‘Lived Fiction’ premiered at Dublin’s Lir Academy Theatre in collaboration with Project Arts Centre (PAC). The piece was commissioned by DANCING, a European Research Council (ERC) funded academic research project based at the School of Law and Criminology of Maynooth University. It was created by Stopgap Dance Company’s Deaf, Disabled, neurodivergent and non-disabled creatives under the lead of co-artistic director Lucy Bennett. Stopgap are a global leader of disability access in dance and are based in the UK. ‘Lived Fiction’ artistically embeds accessibility for dancers and audiences through an integrated creative access approach. 

Continue reading “‘Lived Fiction’ Goes on Stage: Reflecting on a Major Milestone for the DANCING Project and the Collaboration with Stopgap “

What Role is There for Artificial Intelligence in the Assessment of Neurodiversity?

Research Stream: Social Technologies

Author: Emily McConway, Undergraduate Intern in Psychology, Maynooth University and Mac MacLachlan, Professor of Psychology & Social Inclusion, and Co-Director of the ALL Institute, Maynooth University

Early assessment and intervention are vital in facilitating positive developmental and behavioural outcomes for children with neurodevelopmental conditions. Early intervention has a positive long-term effect on both autistic children and their caregivers. The current process of assessing the needs of children with possible autistic traits focuses on the use of behavioural clinical diagnostic instruments such as Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R). Both instruments require direct clinician-to-child observation and can take hours to administer and score. In many countries, long waiting lists, coupled with social, economic and geographic barriers hinders timely assessment of neurodiverse children. The ALL Institute is interested in pragmatic ways to streamline access to services, including assessing a person’s needs for services and supports.   

Continue reading “What Role is There for Artificial Intelligence in the Assessment of Neurodiversity?”

“The Future of Smart & Healthy Ageing: SHAPES Results, Recommendations & Reflections for an Inclusive Europe and a Participative Civil Society”

Posts

Symposium

Author: Tom Hall Research Assistant on the SHAPES project in ALL

SHAPES: Smart and Healthy Ageing through People Engaging in supportive Systems Logo.As European citizens’ life expectancy increases, older people (65+) account for a progressively larger percentage of the total EU population. Trends suggest this will rise from 21.2% in 2022 to 25% in 2030. Along with these demographic changes, larger numbers of people will experience health-related issues. This raises significant challenges for European healthcare systems. In light of these, the SHAPES (Smart and Healthy Ageing through People Engaging in Supportive Systems) project led by Maynooth University aims to create an integrated IT platform which offers a wide range of digital solutions. These are focused on improving the health, well-being, and independence of people as they get older.

Continue reading ““The Future of Smart & Healthy Ageing: SHAPES Results, Recommendations & Reflections for an Inclusive Europe and a Participative Civil Society””

The DANCING Mid-Term Academic Conference: Taking Stock of the First Three Years and Reflecting on the Challenges of Interdisciplinarity

Social Lives

Author: Eva Krolla, Research Assistant in the ERC-funded DANCING Project at the School of Law and Criminology and Assisting Living and Learning (ALL) Institute, Maynooth University

DANCING Mid-Term Academic Conference speakers
DANCING Mid-Term Academic Conference speakers

The European Research Council (ERC) funded research project ‘Protecting the Right to Culture of Persons with Disabilities and Enhancing Cultural Diversity in EU Law: Exploring New Paths – DANCING’ based at the ALL Institute and the School of Law and Criminology under the lead of Principal Investigator Prof. Delia Ferri marked its halfway point by hosting the DANCING Mid-Term Academic Conference on Monday, 4 September 2023 at Maynooth University. 

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From the Centre Back to the Margins: Invisibility of Persons with Disabilities in the Draft Convention on the Right to Development

Social Structures

Author: Harry Chikasamba, PhD Researcher, Assistive Living and Learning (ALL) Institute, School of Law and Criminology, Maynooth University

Harry Chikasamba profile picture
Harry Chikasamba

Until 2006, persons with disabilities were invisible in core legally binding human rights instruments, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). Unsurprisingly, this was the case because persons with disabilities were being considered as having a lower social status, being dependent and inferior in society. In the early and mid-2000s, persons with disabilities convened as self-advocates in the historical halls of the United Nations (UN) in New York where they exhibited an unwavering spirit of resilience and genuine pursuit of equality which shaped and brought to life the first ever legally binding international human rights treaty in the 21st century: the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). In principle, the CRPD protects and promotes the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities, ensuring their full and equal participation in society.

Sadly, the draft Convention on the Right to Development, currently undergoing negotiations at the UN, risks undermining the feeble progress painstakingly made over the past 15 years since the CRPD came into force in 2008. Among other gains, the CRPD has served as the major global catalyst towards viewing persons with disabilities as equal members of society, positioning disability as both a matter of human rights and of development which is evident in the inclusion of disability issues in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Worth noting, disability and persons with disabilities are referred to 11 times in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that make up the 2030 Agenda. Dishearteningly, the invisibility of persons with disabilities in the draft Convention means that, at this juncture, any prospects of advancing disability-inclusive development remain bleak and devoid of hope.

Continue reading “From the Centre Back to the Margins: Invisibility of Persons with Disabilities in the Draft Convention on the Right to Development”

Nothing Without Us: Considering Public Patient Involvement in Research

Social Technologies

Author:  Joan Alaboson is a Doctoral Researcher in the Department of Psychology, Maynooth University. She has a background in medicine and an MSc in Public Health with broad research interests in non-communicable diseases, particularly mental health, social determinants of health and quality of life.

Joan Alaboson
Joan Alaboson

‘What can be done to make settling into the PhD, better?’ asked Dirk, the Director of the Science Foundation Ireland’s Centre for Research Training in Advance Networks for Sustainable Societies (ADVANCE CRT) at a meeting with funded PhD students. Being the only one in the room that had recently commenced my studies, at that moment I felt there was a deep sense of concern for my well-being by ‘management’. It was the first of such fora I’d attended, and I left with a lasting impression of being in relatable company during my studies.

True inclusion, however, could often be elusive, despite best efforts. There is hardly any organization, entity or group that does not seek to represent the interests of those concerned. It may be expressed in a vision, mission, goals, or activities. Yet, many can be left out. Sometimes, it is a fault inherent in group development, when diverse people are not present to consciously bring unique perspectives to the fore. Similarly, it may result from work protocols or culture that fail to recognize and may neglect, systematically, the views and or needs of diverse people.

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An Environmental Scan of the Web in Anticipation of the Capacity Act

Social Structures

Author: Hannah Casey, ALL Blog Editor and PhD Candidate at the Department of Psychology, Maynooth University

Hannah Casey Profile Picture
Hannah Casey

At long last, the highly anticipated Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 has been fully commenced in Irish law today, April 26th. This Act, which replaces the outdated Lunacy Act of 1871, aims to align with Article 12 of the United Nations Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) by enshrining in statute the right for people with disabilities to make their own decisions, and removing formal guardianship arrangements. As part of this new structure, the Decision Support Service (DSS) will finally be able to open its doors and provide much needed services, supports, and resources to people who need it. This service will allow people with disabilities to access necessary supports to make their own decisions, with as much help as they themselves deem necessary. Such decision-making is referred to as supported or assisted decision-making– a formal method of support that has fast been gaining traction across the world.

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Maynooth Alumnus and Disability Activist Selected to Represent Disabled People in the European Parliament

Stories/Lived Experience

Author: James Cawley, Business Development Executive at the Irish Centre for Diversity, Disability Rights Activist, and Member of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Disability Advisory Committee

James Cawley profile picture
James Cawley

James Cawley is a disabled activist from County Longford and an alumnus of Maynooth University who is currently working as a Business Development Executive at the Irish Centre for Diversity. He is also a member of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) Disability Advisory Committee (DAC) and has worked in numerous capacities and functions in the areas of education and disability rights advocacy. He has represented persons with disabilities in public and governmental fora, having recently served on the Irish Government’s Disability Stakeholder Group (DSG 6) in 2022 after his appointment to the group by the incumbent Minister of State for Disability, Anne Rabbitte.

The function of the DSG 6 is to play an important role in the ‘monitoring of the government’s disability policies and strategies’ and it comprises a membership representative of a diverse group of people from the disabled community.

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