The ‘Why’ and ‘How’ of Accessibility in Cultural Contexts: An Access into Action Webinar Series by Arts & Disability Ireland

Léa Urzel Francil is a PhD researcher at the School of Law and Criminology, Maynooth University, within the remit of the DANCING research project funded by the European Research Council. Her PhD research investigates the disability dimension of cultural production in the European Union. She holds an LL.B. from the University of Nantes (France) and studied European and International Law at the University of Helsinki (Finland). In 2018, she completed an LL.M. in International and Comparative Disability Law and Policy at the University of Galway (Ireland). She carried out traineeships at the Office of the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, contributing to a chapter of “The UN Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty” and at the NGO Humanity & Inclusion. Prior to starting her PhD studies, Léa also joined the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs, and Inclusion in Brussels as a trainee.

Dr Gerald Craddock is the inaugural Chief Officer of the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design, a statutory body established by the Irish Government in 2007. It is part of the National Disability Authority which is the lead state agency on disability in Ireland. The Centre’s key domain areas are the built environment, products and services, and information and communication technologies (ICT). The centre’s focus is on infusing universal design into educational curricula at all levels, developing standards in professional and industrial services and creating awareness of the benefits of universal design within Ireland as well as at European and International level.

Eoin O’Herlihy is a first-class graduate in Materials and Engineering Technology, and completed an Engineering Research Master’s Degree in March 2003 in the field of accessibility, universal design, workplace design, ergonomics and accessible schools. With over fourteen years of experience working as an accessibility consultant and trainer, Eoin has advised clients including the National Disability Authority, The European Commission; Dublin Castle, Cantrell and Crowley Architects; the Health Service Executive; University College Cork; The Department of Education and Skills; John Sisk and Sons; European Network for Accessible Tourism; National Standards Authority of Ireland; Microsoft; The Irish Wheelchair Association; Age Friendly Ireland; Kennedy Wilson; Dublin City Council; Henry J Lyons Architects; Dublin Institute of Technology and the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government.

Dr. Donal Fitzpatrick is the Senior ICT Design Advisor with the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design at the National Disability Authority in Ireland. His work focuses on the digital domain, where he contributes to policy and design efforts both nationally and internationally. He has a keen interest in inclusive education, and is actively engaged in several initiatives to embed a ‘whole systems’ approach to Universal Design in Education. Prior to joining the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design, Dr Fitzpatrick worked as a faculty member of the School of Computing in Dublin City University where he conducted research into multimodal usability of user interfaces for blind and vision-impaired people.