30 November – 1 December 2023 – Barcelona and Online
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 was back 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 took part over the course of two days and included workshops and talks that bridge the gap between accessibility and sustainability.
KEYNOTE
CARLOTA GUERRERO
Carlota Guerrero is the Head of the Catalonia Film Commission (CFC), a service of the Catalan Institute of Cultural Enterprises dedicated to promoting and facilitating film productions across the region. Since its establishment in 2007, the CFC has been a valuable resource for supporting filming projects in Catalonia, providing comprehensive assistance in areas such as location access, permit management, and guidance on COVID protocols and sustainability standards. With a background in English Philology and Journalism, Carlota Guerrero previously worked in audiovisual production and management before assuming the leadership role at CFC.
Presentation: The drive for sustainability in the audiovisual sectors: Plan C – Culture for the Climate and Green Film
DANIEL CASAS
Daniel Casas is Accessibility Policy Officer at the European Disability Forum (EDF), an umbrella organisation of persons with disabilities that defends the interests of over 100 million persons with disabilities in the EU. At EDF he works on accessibility and freedom of movement of people with disabilities, covering areas and policies such as transport, the built environment, accessibility of goods and services, ICT and new technologies. Before that, he worked for three years as Policy Officer at the Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to the EU. Daniel holds a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (Spain) and a master’s degree in European integration (Belgium).
Presentation: Climate change: the perspective of persons with disabilities
Book of abstracts and agenda
Commitees
Scientific committee
- Biljana Basarin – UNSPMF, Serbia
- Alessandro Caforio – UNINETTUNO, Italy
- Tom Greenwood, Wholegrain Digital, UK
- Chris Hughes – USAL, UK
- Sarah McDonagh – UAB, Spain
- Manfred Mudelsee – CRA, Germany
- Alessandro Pollini – UNINETTUNO, Italy
- Jaume Targa – 4sfera, Spain
- Miroslav Vujicic – UNSPMF, Serbia
Organising committee
- Marta Brescia Zapata, UAB
- Chiara Gunella, UAB
- Maria Eugenia Larreina, UAB
- Sarah McDonagh, UAB
- Anna Matamala, UAB
- Estel·la Oncins, UAB
- Pilar Orero, UAB
- Marina Pujadas Farreras, UAB
- Miguel Ángel Oliva Zamora, UAB
- Irene Hermosa Ramírez, UAB
Venue
Residència d’Investigadors.
c/ Hospital, 64. Barcelona.
More information: https://www.residencia-investigadors.es/en/
Acknowledgment
This conference has been organised by the Transmedia Catalonia research group and forms part of the H2020 European project GreenSCENT (Smart Citizen Education for a greeN fuTure, ref. code 101036480), which aims at engaging people with environmental issues.
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.