Conference Review: Culture and Inclusion: Reflections on the conference “Protecting the Right to Culture of Persons with Disabilities and Enhancing Cultural Diversity through European Union Law: Exploring New Paths”, 19-20 June 2025
Keywords:
disability, cultural participation, accessibility, European Union law, cultural diversityAbstract
This review offers a critical account of the final conference of the DANCING project titled “Protecting the Right to Culture of Persons with Disabilities and Enhancing Cultural Diversity through European Union Law: Exploring New Paths”, funded by the European Research Council (ERC) and led by PI Delia Ferri. The conference was held at Maynooth University in June 2025. The event brought together scholars, policymakers, and practitioners to reflect on the project's findings and discuss future directions in disability, culture, and European Union (EU) law. Central themes of the conference included accessibility, the intersection of disability rights and cultural diversity, and the role of EU legal and policy frameworks in fostering cultural participation of persons with disabilities. Discussions addressed key barriers that persons with disabilities face in accessing culture, including under-enforced legal frameworks, insufficient support for inclusive practices, and fragmented implementation of EU instruments such as the Marrakesh Directive and the European Accessibility Act. This review highlights DANCING’s scholarly contributions in reconceptualising accessibility through arts-based and participatory legal research, particularly the notion of ‘embodied accessibility’ developed through inclusive dance practice. It also explores how cultural diversity, recognised as a constitutional value in EU law, requires the meaningful inclusion of persons with disabilities as both consumers and creators of cultural expression. Legal developments concerning sign languages, Braille, and access to printed materials are assessed in this context. By reviewing key contributions and debates from the conference, this article demonstrates how the rights of persons with disabilities must be placed at the centre of EU cultural governance and integration efforts. It concludes by emphasising the need for deeper engagement with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), stronger enforcement of accessibility obligations, and greater recognition of the role of persons with disabilities in enriching European cultural life.
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