Professor Delia Ferri, researchers of the DANCING Project and the Maynooth team of the ReCreating Europe Project participate in the Open Up Museums! Conference in Trento and Rovereto

Thursday, June 9, 2022 - 09:00

On 26 – 27 May 2022, the Professor Delia Ferri, the research team of the Project Protecting the Right to Culture of Persons with Disabilities and Enhancing Cultural Diversity through European Union Law: Exploring New Paths (DANCING) - Dr. Ann Leahy, Ms Lea Urzel, Ms Iryna Tekuchova, Ms Eva Krolla, Ms Hilary Hooks – and Ms Katie Donnellan of research team of ReCreating Europe participated in the Conference “Open Up Museums! Prospects and Challenges of Accessibility, Diversity and Inclusion”. The Conference was jointly organised by the projects ReCreating Europe and Indices, funded by EU H2020 programme, and DANCING funded by the European Research Council.

On May 26, Delia Ferri and Katie Donnellan presented the findings from the “ReCreating Europe” project research conducted in Maynooth, focusing on barriers to accessing digital cultural content and the experience of vulnerable groups. The research was jointly conducted between 2020 and 2022 by Delia Ferri, Noelle Higgins, Katie Donnellan and Maria Laura Serra.

On May, 27 Delia chaired a panel “Fostering Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities in Cultural Organisations: Legal Tools, Experiences and Best Practices” in which some preliminary results of the DANCING projects were presented and discussed alongside best practices. Besides chairing, prof. Ferri discussed the role EU law plays in advancing accessibility of culture for persons with disabilities. Dr. Ann Leahy, post-doctoral researcher discussed about barriers and facilitators to cultural participation, while Léa Urzel, PhD candidate presented the role of the CRPD in promoting access to culture for people with disabilities. The DANCING team was also joined by accessibility designer Norbert Croonenberg, who has supported the dissemination of the project.

The conference encompassed a variety of legal issues that arise in the cultural sector when it comes to accessibility, including copyright flexibilities, use of metadata and the role of international agreements such as the Marrakesh Treaty in fostering access. The event was co-hosted by the School of Law of the University of Trento and museums MuSe- Science Museum (Trento), Mart- Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Rovereto).