Brainstorming Sessions - Co-Creating Inclusive Cultural Futures

How do we build a cultural world that's inclusive by default — not by exception? How can creative processes truly reflect and respect disabled experiences from the very beginning?

These are the questions P.A.I.R. has been exploring throughout its research. Now, this journey of listening and learning reaches an exciting turning point: the brainstorming sessions.

These are not ordinary meetings. They are creative labs — dynamic, collaborative spaces shaped by the values of participation, equity, and access. They bring together a wide range of voices to imagine and co-design new ways of making the arts more inclusive.

In a room with grey walls, a young woman with curly hair tied up in a bun and wearing a brown top appears to be explaining something, gesturing with her hands to people outside the frame. Next to her, a red-haired woman in a wheelchair, wearing glasses, watches her attentively.

What Are the Brainstorming Sessions?

Organized by the local partners in Greece, Cyprus, and Estonia, these online sessions bring together representatives of cultural organizations, deaf and disabled persons' organizations, artists, cultural professionals and accessibility experts. Using design thinking strategies, each gathering creates space for participants to reflect on the current cultural landscape and imagine new possibilities for inclusion. Throughout, the voices of disabled artists and cultural professionals are not only heard — they are prioritized.

These sessions support hands-on problem-solving and draw directly from the real-life experiences of participants. Each gathering creates space for collective thinking, idea-sharing, and the development of fresh, inclusive approaches to accessibility in the arts.

🎯 Goals and Objectives

The brainstorming sessions are a key part of P.A.I.R. 's research framework. They will:

Build skills and networks among artists, organizations, and institutions
Establish meaningful connections with local stakeholders
Gather firsthand insights and lived experiences
Ensure our work is rooted in actual needs and everyday realities
Co-develop ideas that will inform our project's capacity-building actions and Creative Accessibility Methodology (CAM)

Most importantly, they plant the seeds for long-term, international communities of practice that will keep growing beyond the project's end.