On 22nd August 2019 the symposium “Haptic Communication – Breaking the Barriers for Inclusion and Participation” took place at the Textile Fashion Centre in the University of Borås, Sweden. The symposium aimed at addressing the issue of deafblindness from a number or perspectives: personal experiences, policies, science and technology research and linguistics amongst others.
More than 80 participants attended the symposium. The day started with a brief introduction into the SUITCEYES project, given by Nasrine Olson. Director-General of the Swedish Agency for Participation Malin Ekman Aldén then took the stage to discuss national policies on participation, accessibility and inclusion, followed by Kas Nelfelt, Vice President of the World Federation of The Deafblind. The day continued with inspiring presentations by Carlo Geraci, Riitta Lahtinen and Russ Palmer, Cathrine Timm Sundin from Eikholt, Sophia Alexandersson from ShareMusic and members of the SUITCEYES consortium presenting aspects of their work. The day concluded with a presentation on EU funding and research for inclusion by Pawel Dobosz, and cultural engagement in the form of enthralling Japanese taiko music performed by Sweden Taiko.
A big thank you to all presenters and participants on a successful symposium!