Symposium – Ideas in ALL

15/12/202315/12/2023

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.

15/12/202315/12/2023

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.

15/12/202315/12/2023

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 3^rd 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.

15/12/202315/12/2023

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.

15/12/202315/12/2023

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.

15/12/202315/12/2023

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,

10/11/202328/11/2023

“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.

05/12/202205/12/2022

Is Social Sustainability the Forgotten Pillar of Sustainable Development?

Social Structures

Symposium

Author: Ruth O’Reilly, Senior Built Environment Design Advisor, Centre for Excellence in Universal Design, National Disability Authority

Here at the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design, we often use this quotation from the designer, Victor Papanek, to explain the focus of our work:

The only important thing about design is how it relates to people

Quotation 'The only important thing about design is how it relates to people' alongside an image of a book with the title Design for the Real Workld, by Victor Papanek. — Figure 1: Quotation from Design for the Real World by Victor Papenek (1971)

A key tenet of Universal Design is that good design works well for everyone. Sometimes however, it seems that social sustainability is the forgotten pillar of sustainable development. How can we persuade designers that taking a Universal Design approach – designing for all people, regardless of their age, size, ability or disability – is a key element of sustainable development?

05/12/202206/10/2023

Developing a Sustainable, Needs-based Roadmap for Social and Assistive Robots for Older Care

Social Technologies

Symposium

Authors: Louise Veling is a Senior Post-Doctoral Researcher with the Horizon 2020 SHAPES Project as part of the Assisted Living and Learning (ALL) Institute / Department of Engineering at Maynooth University. Rudi Villing is a Lecturer with the School of Engineering at Maynooth University, Programme Director of the BSc in Robotics & Intelligence Devices, member of the Hamilton Institute and associate director of the Assisted Living and Learning (ALL) institute.

Left to Right Rudi Villing, Louise Veling — Rudi Villing and Louise Veling

Few people would dispute the importance of centring older people’s needs when it comes to developing assistive technologies. For assistive robots, this is even more important. As in other fields, within robotics and human-robot interaction (HRI) research, older people are often subject to stereotypical representations and ageist attitudes. Assistive robots are also still in their infancy, with few yet deployed in practice, so there is still some distance to go before robots make it out of the lab and into the real world. What they will be capable of and how they will be used is still in a process of negotiation.

05/12/202205/12/2022

An Interview with Stephanie Ortoleva, Founder of Women Enabled International (November 14^th, 2022)

Stories/Lived Experience

Symposium

Author: Dr Ana María Sánchez Rodríguez, MSCA Fellow and Adjunct Assistant Professor of the Assisting Living and Learning (ALL) Institute

Stephanie Ortoleva and Ana Maria Sanchez Rodriguez — Stephanie Ortoleva and Ana María Sánchez Rodríguez

Stephanie Ortoleva, founder of Women Enabled International (WEI) advocates for women and girls with disabilities. She says that, “disabled women are organizing for ourselves because we have found that other movements, whether it’s the women’s rights movement or the disability rights movement, very often don’t include our issues as the key points of their advocacy. Disabled women just aren’t going to be silent anymore” (Ford Foundation, 2020).

In the summer of 2012, I started my research journey as an intern for WEI. WEI wanted to help and join the work on the revision of laws in India and globally. The central issue was violence against women and girls with disabilities. The same year, Stephanie and Hope Lewis published a seminal work on violence against women with disabilities called: Forgotten Sisters – A Report on Violence Against Women with Disabilities: An Overview of its Nature, Scope, Causes and Consequences.

Continue reading Women Enabled International (November 14^th, 2022)”

05/12/202205/12/2022

Sustainability: What it means and how to practice it.

Sustainability: What it means and how to practice it. Author: Cassandra Murphy. Voiced by Anastasia Campbell

05/12/202205/12/2022

Our Journey to the End of the Night… and towards a new future. Happy Birthday Ideas in ALL!

Symposium

Picture of the three ALL Institute Co-Directors in front of a white back drop. From left to right: Deirdre Desmond, Mac MacLachlan, Delia Ferri — *Delia Ferri, Mac MacLachlan, Deirdre Desmond*

Ideas in ALL is two years old! Our blog was set up on 3 December 2020, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. The blog seeks to engage an audience beyond academic journal readers – it aims to be relevant to a much wider range of stakeholders and to engage with public debate. A crucial element of the Assisting Living and Learning (ALL) Institute’s blog – Ideas in ALL is to empower and give voice to people with disabilities, mental health problems, or chronic illnesses and older people, and their many and varied experiences of positive ageing. We also want those often marginalized from the benefits of mainstream society to feel that they can share ideas here. We strive to ensure that Ideas in ALL is characterized by accessible style, pluralism, openness and appreciation of difference.

05/12/202205/12/2022

Sustainability: What it means and how to practice it.

Social Structures

Symposium

Click for the Audio Version

Author: Cassandra Murphy, PhD researcher in the Psychology Department of Maynooth University, funded by H2020 project GoGreenRoutes, Assisting Living and Learning Institute (ALL)

Cassandra Murphy

I often talk about sustainability in my work being in the realm of environmental psychology. My research explores the human-nature relationship, which inevitably links to pro-environmental behaviour. People often assume pro-environmental behaviour defines sustainability, but sustainability is much more than recycling and planting trees. Through my conversations I have learnt that the term ‘sustainability’ can be perceived differently. We constantly hear about sustainability, in the news, in our emails, in daily conversations; but what does this term really mean? Everyone’s understanding is individual to their lives and their experience. For some they instantly think of the UN Sustainable Development Goals whereas for others it can simply mean having the ability to keep up momentum of what they do each day and not burn themselves out. An all too familiar experience of many after the recent pandemic.

UN Sustainable Development Goals logo.

The most common definition of sustainability comes from the UN World Commission on Environment and Development which says sustainable development means “to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” That’s exactly what it is. Ensuring that throughout our lifetimes we strive to create a world in which we do not take from the generations that come after us, but instead make sure they have what we have, if not better. The future generations should have equal access to the resources we have and be able to benefit from them no matter where they are, or how much money they earn. In a sense, this is the idea that we are leaving no one behind.

05/12/202205/12/2022

The All Institute through a Sustainable Lens: Celebrating the Ideas in ALL blog’s Second Anniversary

Symposium

left to right Hannah Casey, Lea Urzel Francil and Matthew McKenna — Hannah Casey, Léa Urzel Francil and Matthew McKenna

The ALL Institute celebrated its fifth anniversary at the end of November, which also coincided with the second anniversary of its blog – Ideas in ALL–. With this in mind, we, the blog’s editorial team, invited ALL members, as well as its collaborators and close stakeholders to engage with the topic of sustainability and contribute to a dedicated symposium.

Central to the work of ALL is the core ethos of a rights-based, person-centered approach to social inclusion and independent living. The theme of sustainability aligns itself closely with this underpinning vision. As such, the work of ALL comprises a vital nexus between academic research, civil society, lived experience, law and policy. Sustainability represents a core principle of the ALL Institute, and hence of the Ideas in ALL Blog.

20/12/202117/10/2022

December 3rd 2021, UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Fighting for Rights in the Post – COVID Era

Audio Version

December 3rd 2021, UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Fighting for Rights in the Post – COVID Era. Author: James Cawley, Policy Officer, Independent Living Movement Ireland (ILMI). Voiced by Anastasia Campbell

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