Equality in a Digital Future? Ensuring Access to Assistive Technology in Third-Level Education

Research Stream: Social Technologies

AuthorMatthew 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)

Supporting universal and consistent access to Assistive Technology (AT) at third-level education within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Ireland represents a critical milestone to achieving equal opportunities for persons with disabilities.

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Creating an Accessible Survey for the DANCING Project

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

The DANCING project, led by Principal Investigator (PI) Professor Delia Ferri, aims to investigate participation in culture by persons with disabilities. Access is a critical issue in all areas of life for people with disabilities. This includes the area of culture, and concerns people with disabilities who are (or who wish to be) involved at all levels, including as artists, arts-professionals, and audiences.

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Getting Older Today and Tomorrow: How Should Technology Transform Access to Care and Support Services?

Author: Priscille Geiser is a consultant in rights-based, disability-inclusive development, and a Research Associate with the ALL Institute’s SHAPES project.

Research Stream: Social Technologies

As I visited my grandparents in the north of France earlier this year, I arrived by train at the nearest station and my grandfather, 96 years old, was to proudly drive me home. As he was not there yet, I sent him a text message, and he arrived shortly after. Yet he told me he had not received the message, because he does not know how to use this function.

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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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Moving Forward to Have a More Inclusive Society

Author: James Cawley, Maynooth University Alumnus, 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

Research Stream: Lived Experience

First, I want to extend my sincere congratulations to the ALL Institute team in marking the sixth anniversary of the ALL Institute at Maynooth University. Equally, I am delighted to contribute to the end of year symposium for the third anniversary of the Ideas in ALL Blog.

My name is James Cawley, I have contributed to the ALL Blog over the last 3 years. For me, the Blog remains an important channel to showcase empowerment and tackle social exclusion.

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Building a Digitally Wealthy society with the support of the ALL Institute

Author: Dr Holly Foley, PhD, Project Manager at the Digital Wealth Project, UDL Digital Badge Lead Maynooth University

Research Stream: Lived Experience

Digital Wealth: An Overview

As we pass the sixth anniversary of the ALL institute it’s a perfect time to reflect on how our research has grown and developed under the ethos of the institute. The Digital Wealth Project commenced in March of 2021 for a 3-year project and funded through Rethink Ireland and Microsoft Ireland led by Dr Katriona O’Sullivan and Dr Holly Foley.

The aim of the Digital Wealth Project is to tackle Digital Poverty.  Digital Poverty is not income-dependent, instead it relates specifically to being able to access the digital resources (materials, skills, training, infrastructure) necessary to enjoy a basic standard of living.

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Celebrating the Third Anniversary of the ‘Ideas in ALL Blog’ in the 2023 Winter Symposium; a Commentary from the Editorial Team

Authors: Matthew McKenna, Cassandra Murphy, Neasa Boyle, Hannah Casey and Dr Opeyemi Kolawole

Research Stream: Symposium

The Ideas in ALL Blog celebrated its third anniversary at the end of November 2023, marking three momentous years since its inception. The Blog has grown markedly over this timeframe,

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Around ALL in Seven Blog Posts…

Authors:  Prof. Delia Ferri,  Prof. Mac MacLachlanProf. Deirdre Desmond

Research Stream: Symposium

Another year has gone by very fast and Ideas in ALL is now a lively three year old “toddler”! The blog was set up on 3 December 2020, amidst the pandemic, to support the dissemination of the Assisting Living and Learning (ALL) Institute’s multi- and interdisciplinary research. Since the outset, Ideas in ALL has grown significantly, offering ALL members and collaborators opportunities to showcase their projects in an accessible and reader-friendly way. It also engages a range of stakeholders to help make their voices heard, to reflect on current issues and highlight their lived experiences.

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A Monumental Week for the STEM Passport for Inclusion


Authors: Linda Mc Donald and Jamie Moore are 3rd year BSc Psychology Students, Research Interns for Dr Katriona O’Sullivan, and the STEM Passport for Inclusion Project, at the ALL Institute in Maynooth University

Research Stream: Stories/ Lived Experiences

This week marked a monumental one for us here in the STEM Passport for Inclusion project. Our programme is a project within the ALL institute here in Maynooth University. It provides socio-economically disadvantaged young girls in Ireland an opportunity to learn about STEM, one that is not easily accessible to them usually. This week both the Women in STEM awards and graduation ceremony for our girls who took part in the programme took place, highlighting and celebrating the need for a focus to expand knowledge and opportunities for education and involvement in STEM.

The Women in STEM awards in association with PEPSICO took place on Thursday, which recognises and rewards the accomplishments and efforts of women in the sectors of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). These women strive to improve and innovate their respective fields of work. It is important that their efforts are recognised and encouraged, to promote inclusion in the field of STEM. In addition, the awards bring attention to the need for more women in STEM, an ongoing and prevalent issue  in today’s society. The Women in STEM Awards are judged by several women who have reached these top-level jobs and remained in them, against the odds. Two members of the impressive judging panel included Gillian Harford and Susan Treacy. Gillian Harford is a senior HR Executive who works with organisations aiming to target diversity and workplace change. While working as a Head of HR Strategy & Planning for AIB, Gillian contributed to people change with respect to Culture, Career, and Diversity. Susan Treacy is the CEO of HealthTech Ireland, and is a member of the Women in Technology and Science (WITS) Ireland Executive. This organisation helps to support and empower women in STEM, and advance STEM policy at government level. These influential women have themselves improved and innovated their respective fields of work and are hence qualified to judge the efforts of others.

 

Dr Katriona O Sullivan

The STEM Passport for Inclusion programme, working with Maynooth University and partners, was nominated for the award for Diversity & Inclusion Initiative of the Year. The feelings of excitement and anticipation as we waited for the winner of the award to be announced, could be felt by everyone in the room. To our delight, the STEM Passport was awarded the honour, an accomplishment that recognises our hard work and effort. Though the STEM Passport for Inclusion won the award for best Diversity & Inclusion Initiative of the Year, the fellow nominees of the category deserve equal recognition for their efforts to improve and innovate the field of STEM. Whilst it appears as though the organisations were in competition for the award, they were in fact working towards a common goal – to improve diversity and inclusion in the field of STEM.  

There was no time to rest following the awards ceremony, as the following day was our graduation ceremony for over 400 girls who had taken part in our programme. Dr. Katriona O’Sullivan, who leads the STEM Passport for Inclusion programme, kicked off the graduation ceremony by introducing the project and congratulating all those receiving their level-6 accreditations. She then introduced the president of Maynooth University, Prof. Eeva Leinonen, who is actively involved in national and international higher education policy discourse and implementation, who briefly spoke about the initiative and its impact and congratulated all the girls for completing the module. After speaking, both Prof. Leinonen and Dr O’Sullivan, helped by Dr Gemma Irvine, Vice President for Equality and Diversity in Maynooth University, began to hand out the certificates to the girls who had completed the module. The girls each went up and received their well-deserved accreditation, thus graduating from the programme – a monumental moment for all parties involved.

Awards Ceremony President of Maynooth University, Prof. Eeva Leinonen, Dr Gemma Irvine, Dr Katriona O'Sullivan and Dr Holly Foley take to the stage to present students with their certificates of completion
Ava Kenny, a former STEM Passport student speaking on her experiences as a student in the programme

Once the graduates had received their certificates, Ava Kenny, a former student of the programme, was welcomed to the stage to talk about her experience with the programme and the pathways it opened for herself. Ava, who is currently studying a science degree in Maynooth University, gave an emotional reflection on what the STEM Passport means to her, stating the programme was “a journey of self-discovery, of finding my passion and purpose. It sent me on a path where I could dream big, aim high, knowing that the STEM Passport welcomed me with open arms”. Ava beautifully captured the transformative and significant impact the initiative had on her life, surely inspiring all the graduates in the room, offering them a glimpse into the future possibilities their newly acquired accreditation can offer.

After Ava’s reflection, Dr Kevin Marshall, the newly appointed Adjunct Professor at Maynooth University’s ALL Institute, joined the stage to say a few words. He highlighted the graduates’ achievement, “to get the university qualification while you’re at school is just amazing”, offering his admiration and support for all the girls. He then passed the mic over to Katriona to close out the graduation ceremony. Once the ceremony was over, everyone headed over for pizza and refreshments, a well-deserved treat for both our girls and team members.  

Dr Kevin Marshall joins the stage to congratulate the students on their journey and success

For our focus on accessibility to STEM education and inclusion within the field to be recognised by such a prestigious award is an honour. Furthermore, for it to be followed by the graduation ceremony, which allows us to reflect and recognise those efforts first hand, to be in the same week, has been nothing short of fantastic. These inspiring young girls, now adorned with their accreditations, now take one step further into the world of STEM. Both ceremonies recognise the work put in to pave the way for a more diverse and inclusive future in STEM – from both the team of today and the future women in STEM who took part in our programme.


Sale of Alcohol and Children’s Rights in Ireland

Author: Dr Oliver Bartlett, :  Assistant Professor of Law, Assisting Living and Learning (ALL) Institute, School of Law and Criminology, Maynooth University

Research Stream: Social Lives

In October 2022 the Department of Justice published the Sale of Alcohol Bill. The publicly announced purpose of this legislation was to reform Ireland’s sprawling and disparate alcohol licensing rules and to bring Ireland’s nighttime economy closer to that of other major European cities. However, it emerged that the potential public health problems raised by a liberalisation of alcohol licensing were ignored at the highest political level. Based on a report launched on 20th October 2023 at Maynooth University, this post will summarise and contextualise the children’s rights impacts of the reform, which also appear to have been neglected.

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Embracing the Open Science Movement

Research Stream: Social Structures

Authors: Nina Trubanová, PhD Researcher at UCD SBES and Co-founder of Agape Open Science Community. Aswathi Surendran, PhD Researcher at University of Galway and Co-founder of the Agape Open Science Community. Cassandra Murphy, GoGreenRoutes PhD Researcher, ALL Institute and Department of Psychology at Maynooth University and Co-founder of Agape Open Science Community.

In the dynamic landscape of contemporary research, the concept of ‘open science’, also known as open scholarship or open research, serves as a multifaceted umbrella encompassing a range of principles such as open data, open access, open source, open peer review, open educational resources, citizen science, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

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“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.

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GoGreenRoutes Conference on Climate Change and Mental Health: Reflections on Eco-Anxiety

Author : Eamon Callan is a second-year psychological studies student (Maynooth University) and was a SPUR  intern on the GoGreenRoutes project during the Summer of 2023.
GoGreenRoutes Logo

Our Green Campus hosted excellent researchers and practitioners once again, for this the fourth GoGreenRoutes H2020 project event held at Maynooth University, this time held in partnership with Mental Health Ireland. This week was most apt for the launch of our Autumn School, with World Mental Health Day (10th Oct.), marked by the launch of the EU Comprehensive Action Plan for Mental Health, and budget day in Ireland (Oct. 11th), (with an investment of €3.1 Billon in the new climate action fund).

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The Big Race: Artificial Intelligence and Healthy Ageing  

Research stream: Social Structures

Author: Ilia Marcev, PhD Candidate at the Department of Psychology, Maynooth University, and a Research Assistant with the ALL Institute’s SHAPES Project 

Ilia Marcev

Unless your internet connection has been as unreliable as the weather forecast, or you were marooned on a desert island over the past few weeks, there is a strong chance you heard of the alleged “alien” bodies discovered in Mexico recently. While this strange discovery made international news, it drew very poor engagement and attention from the average UFO-enthusiast, let alone the average person like you and me. I believe it is fair to say that ten years ago this story would have exploded like a supernova across the internet, but today, the majority of people seem rather unconcerned with this novel development in humanity’s timeline. I can only speculate that the reason the world is unconcerned with potentially discovering our Martian neighbours is because, as exciting as alien intelligent life may sound, we are likely far closer to discovering new intelligent life here on Earth that would rival our own. This new intelligence is better known as – Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). 

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UN International Day of Older Persons, 1st October: Time to Discuss a United Nations Convention on the Rights of Older Persons

Social Structures

Author: Matthew McKenna, PhD Researcher at Maynooth University’s Assisting Living and Learning Institute (ALL), Research Funded through the Science Foundation of Ireland (SFI) Centre for Research Training in Advanced Networks for Sustainable Societies (ADVANCE CRT)

Matthew McKenna

The disability convention should accelerate the trend underway in most corners of the world toward respecting and advancing the rights of persons with disabilities. It will reinforce reform efforts underway in many countries. It will help put in place a dynamic of reform in those countries that have yet to begin a serious reform effort’ (Quinn, as cited in Quinn and Waddington ed., 2009, p. 114).

The above quote from Quinn and Waddington was made in the aftermath of the entry into force of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD/Convention) in 2008. Their prediction proved to be correct as the CRPD provided a global framework for the advancement of human rights for and by, persons with disabilities, and helped to bolster existing frameworks for legal and policy reform efforts. It also helped to usher in new multilateral initiatives and strategic programmes to tackle disability discrimination and was intended to foster inclusion and human rights for all people irrespective of age or disability status. Whilst its implementation is still very much a work in progress, the CRPD proved to be a pivotal legal and policy instrument of international law by highlighting the discriminatory and inaccessible nature of modern society, thus raising the question of a need for a UN Convention on the Rights of Older People. On 1st October, the UN International Day of Older Persons, this proposed convention is worthy of serious discussion and renewed consideration.

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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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Climate Change Litigation: Emerging Trends and Implications

Social Structures

Author: Firdavs Kabilov, PhD Fellow at the Maynooth University School of Law and Criminology, Maynooth University

Firdavs Kabilov
Firdavs Kabilov

Climate change has become a defining global challenge, with far-reaching implications for the governments and businesses. As the urgency to address climate change increases, novel avenues are being explored to catalyse action. One such avenue is climate litigation, a strategy that seeks to hold governments and businesses accountable for their contributions to climate change. The United Nations Environment Programme’s latest report Global Climate Litigation Report: 2023 Status Review shows that climate change-related lawsuits have substantially increased in recent years. As of December 2022, there were 2,180 climate-related cases filed in 65 jurisdictions, including international and regional courts. This brief post will focus on some of the most recent and notable cases to highlight emerging trends on climate change litigation and their impact on government policies and business practices.

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Oppenheimer on the Responsibilities of Psychologists

Social Lives

Author: Rachel Brown is a PhD candidate at the Department of Psychology, Maynooth University and a Research Assistant with the ALL Institute’s SHAPES project

Rachel Brown
Rachel Brown

Like many of you, I recently watched Christopher Nolan’s biographic film documenting theoretical psychist Robert Oppenheimer’s involvement in the Manhattan Project and the creation of the first nuclear weapons. Although I enjoyed the film, I was left with a strange sense of unease about scientific knowledge and the power that knowledge has to change the world, and not always for the better. As I drove home, I considered my own responsibilities regarding the knowledge my research will produce. Needless to say, the 20-minute car journey home from the cinema felt very long that day.

Shortly after seeing the film, I came across Oppenheimer’s 1956 address to the American Psychological Association (APA) entitled Analogy in Science. It was an engaging and eloquently written speech and I assure you it is well worth the read. Intriguingly, he gives a stern warning to the field of psychology, while given at the height of behaviourism with widespread fear of mind control over individuals and society, 68 years on Oppenheimer’s warning seems just as relevant now as it did then.

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