30 November – 1 December 2023 – Barcelona and Online
Context
Despite a shared interest in issues related to quality of life, environmental sustainability and accessibility are not often thought of together (McDonagh, forthcoming). This has resulted in a lack of prioritization of accessibility in discussion about sustainability, with governments slow to include people with disabilities in their climate mitigation plans (Kosanac et al. 2019; Jodoin et al. 2022). While accessibility and sustainability are not often thought of together, both feature in the United Nations’ (UN) 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (2015). More specifically, Goals 4 (“Quality Education”), 8 (“Decent Work and Economic Growth”), 10 (“Reduced Inequality”), 11 (“Sustainable Cities”) and 17 (“Partnership for Goals”) all identify the importance of ensuring that the transition to carbon zero is inclusive to everyone, irrespective of age, sex, disability, ethnicity, origin, religion, economic or social status (McDonagh & Brescia-Zapata, 2023). The SDGs recognize the importance of developing sustainable solutions that safeguard against inequality and exclusion (2015). At a European level, the European Union’s Green Deal recognizes the importance of leaving “no person or place” behind as the bedrock for the green transition (European Commission, 2019).
After a successful inaugural conference in 2022, the Green Digital Accessibility Conference is back this year offering a platform to bridge work in digital media, communication and environmental studies, with a particular focus on the role of accessibility in the green transition. The conference will take part over the course of two days and will include workshops and talks that bridge the gap between accessibility and sustainability.
Themes
We invite proposals (workshops and paper presentations) on any topic related to the following themes:
Intersectional approaches to sustainability and disability
Perspectives of people with disabilities on climate change
Best practice in sustainable and accessible design in traditional and digital media
Intersectional approaches to disability and environmental activism
Intersectional approaches to disability and policymaking: Examples of disability inclusive climate action policies and best practice
Disability inclusive and accessible environmental communication
Green Tech for All: Technologies that combine accessibility and sustainability
Disability inclusive and accessible environmental education
Industry perspective on sustainability and accessibility
Sustainable working practices in media accessibility
Important dates
| GDA 2023 Conference (Barcelona & online) | 30 November- 1 of December 2023 |
| Deadline for registration | 10th of November 2023 |
GDA PowerPoint Template
Contacts
Email: transmedia.catalonia@uab.cat
Works cited
European Commission. 2019. ‘The European Green Deal’. Brussels: European Commission.
Jodoin, Sébastien, Katherine Lofts, Amanda Bowie-Edwards, Laurence Leblanc, and Chloe Rourke. 2022. ‘Disability Rights in National Climate Policies: Status Report’. Centre for Human Rights & Legal Pluralism & International Disability Alliance.
Kosanic, Aleksandra, Jan Petzold, Amy Dunham, and Mialy Razanajatovo. 2019. ‘Climate Concerns and the Disabled Community’. Science 366 (6466): 698–99.
McDonagh, Sarah Anne. Forthcoming. ‘Accessibility in the Context of the Green Deal: Lessons from the GreenSCENT Project’. In European Green Deal in Practice: Research Perspectives on Environmental Education and Sustainability. Oxford: Open Book Publishers.
McDonagh, Sarah, and Marta Brescia Zapata. Forthcoming. ‘Combining XR, Accessibility, and Sustainability in the Classroom: Results of an Exploratory Study’. In Bridging the XR Technology-to-Practice Gap.
United Nations. 2015. ‘Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’. United Nations. https://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/70/1&Lang=E.