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    Report: The ERC DANCING Final Conference


    Stefanović, Lazar, Ferri, Delia and Krolla, Eva (2025) Report: The ERC DANCING Final Conference. Project Report. Maynooth University, Maynooth.

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    Abstract

    This report gives an account of the DANCING Final Conference, which was held on 19 and 20 June 2025. The conference presented the main findings and results of the European Research Council-funded project ‘Protecting the Right to Culture of Persons with Disabilities and Enhancing Cultural Diversity through European Union Law: Exploring New Paths – DANCING’, led by Professor Delia Ferri (Professor of Law at the School of Law and Criminology of Maynooth University). The DANCING Final Conference aimed to reflect on the key achievements of the project, but also to explore future directions for research, policy, and practice related to European Union (EU) disability law and the right to cultural participation of persons with disabilities. The conference brought together academics, policymakers, persons with disabilities, artists, and other stakeholders. Over two days, participants engaged in thematic panels and roundtables. The DANCING project, running from 1 September 2020 to 31 August 2025, pursued three main objectives: to identify barriers and facilitators to cultural participation by persons with disabilities (experiential), to explore how EU law can promote disability rights and cultural diversity (normative), and to offer a new theorisation of cultural diversity in EU law (theoretical). All three objectives were discussed throughout the conference. The first day focused on the research findings and academic contributions of the project, while the second day turned to policy implications and ‘Tools for Change’, including the launch of a Policy Brief – comprising recommendations for European Union and national policymakers and a Toolkit for cultural stakeholders. Notably, the conference was opened by a video message from Professor Adam Bodnar, Minister of Justice of Poland, on behalf of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union (1 Jan 2025 – 30 Jun 2025). Two keynote speeches – respectively from Professor Bruno De Witte (Emeritus Professor at Maastricht University and Member of the Advisory Board of the DANCING Project) and Ms Inmaculada Placencia Porrero (Member of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Senior Disability Expert at the European Commission) – marked the two days. A keynote dialogue led by Professor Mark Priestley (Emeritus Professor at Leeds University and Member of the Advisory Board of the DANCING Project) concluded the second day of the conference. The DANCING Final Conference also included two side events that marked the artistic collaborations deployed during the course of the project. The first was the unveiling of the artwork ‘Odisseo-Ulysses’ created by artist Tiziano Pantano. The second was the premiere of the documentary ‘Steps to Change: Following the DANCING Project 2020 – 2025’ produced by Feenish Production Ltd. and directed by James Kelly. Besides discussing the conference content and its most significant moments, the report outlines key organisational aspects with a focus on how accessibility was planned and delivered throughout the event, in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and DANCING’s own accessibility strategy. Strategic planning was vital to ensure venues were accessible to wheelchair users, but also suitable for people with a range of disabilities. Accessibility measures further included provision of Irish Sign Language (ISL) interpretation throughout, alternative formats (Braille, large print, digital soft copy) of the programme and relevant documentation of the conference, as well as the embedding of accessibility features in the documentary and the artwork. On the whole, the DANCING Final Conference showcased the cross-cutting nature of the interdisciplinary research conducted, but also highlighted the project’s commitment to bridging academic research with practice and to ensuring that persons with disabilities are active participants in shaping inclusive cultural spaces across Europe.
    Item Type: Monograph (Project Report)
    Keywords: ERC DANCING; conference;
    Academic Unit: Assisting Living & Learning,ALL institute
    Centre for European and Eurasian Studies
    Faculty of Social Sciences > Law
    Item ID: 20162
    Identification Number: 10.5281/zenodo.15805434
    Depositing User: Delia Ferri
    Date Deposited: 04 Jul 2025 11:44
    Publisher: Maynooth University
    Refereed: Yes
    URI: https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/id/eprint/20162
    Use Licence: This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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