Relational connectivity and cultural participation: An immersive ethnographic and participatory approach to co-creating accessibility in a neurodiverse world

How do persons define cultural participation in their own terms? What innovative design can be co-created and implemented to cultivate equitable access in the creation as well as reception of “culture” ? 

Keywords: Cultural Participation, Neurodiversity, Intersectoral Action, Immersive methodologies 

Swing Time Dance Therapy 600x400
Image by Andrés Solis and Jenna Welik

In this research creation project, we established an intersectoral partnership with theatre-performance groups, arts-cultural institutions, and disability organizations to understand the barriers and facilitators in the creation and reception of cultural events. Our two-fold aim is to cohere and strengthen a network of artists and activists currently working at the forefront of inclusion, access and equity and provide a space for knowledge exchange and mobilization, with the aim to foreground their collective experiential knowledge into recommendations and guidelines for design, healthcare, arts-culture, and service sectors. 

Funding: SSHRC Partnership Development (# 2008-2024-00160) 

Community Partners: Audrey-Anne Bouchard, Culture Autism Studies (Dawn Prince-Hughes), Centre for Sensory Studies (Florian Grond, David Howes), Jamaica Association of Montreal (Sharon Nelson), Kéroul (Simon April, Bruno Ronfard), Lichen Community Systems (Colin Clark), National Centre of Dance Therapy~Les Grands Ballets Canadiens (Jonathan Heredia de la Cruz, Audrée Papineau), Postmarginal (Peter Farbridge), Scènes interactives technologiques (Nicolas Berzi), Alzheimer Society of Montreal (Marie Christine Le Bourdais), Théâtre Déchaînés (Marie Ayotte, Andrée-Anne Giguère). 

Academic Team: Eric Asaba, Simon April (Co-Director), Louis Behrer, Amandine Catala, Donald Fogelberg, Victoria Gray, Florian Grond (Co-Director), David Howes, Anders Kottorp, Keven Lee (Co-Director), Cheryl Mattingly, Nancy Mayo, Melissa Park (Principal Investigator), Tamar Tembeck, Thomas W. Valente, Jean-Paul Quéinnec. 

Eric Asaba

U of Gothenberg SE

Théâtre Déchainés

Au-delà du visuel

Amandine Catala

UQAM

Lichen Community Systems

Postmarginal

Donald Fogelberg

U of Washington

Théâtre Déchainés

Victoria Gray

Concordia

Anders Kottorp

U of Gävle

Alzheimers Society Montréal

Keven Lee

CNDT

Cheryl Mattingly

USC

Nancy Mayo

McGill

Jamaica Association Mtl

Martina Padovani

McGill

Jean-Paul Quéinnec

UQAC

Thomas W. Valente

USC