Paralympicopolis: A Pop Up Global Disability Innovation Hub
A UCL 2034 grant-funded Grand Challenges Human Wellbeing project.
4 October 2016
In 2016, UCL Grand Challenges funded eight projects under an initiative to support UCL’s 2034 strategy, and in particular Principal Theme on ‘Addressing global challenges’. Amongst them was a £10,000 award for a pop-up Global Disability Hub. Building on the 2012 Paralympic legacy of sustainability and accessibility, Dr Maria Kett (UCL International Disability Research Centre) with Paul Brickell, Executive Director of Regeneration & Community Partnerships at the London Legacy Development Corporation (which provided matched funding), endeavoured to show that the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park could continue to be an exemplar of inclusivity. ‘Paralympicopolis: A Pop-Up Global Disability Innovation Hub’was held in May 2016, in collaboration with many partners including the V&A and the RoyalCollege of Art, and involving disabled people in all activities. It attracted over 100 participants across five cross-disciplinary sessions on the following topics:
- Navigation of QEOP for people with visual impairment
- 3D printing wheelchairs
- Post-skins and interfaces
- How disabled children get to school in Zimbabwe
- The future of GDI Hub