About

Governance

As part of the European INSPIRE project, the Lisbon pilot project seeks to re-examine disability through performance art, with the aim of combating marginalization and social exclusion of individuals in this condition. At the center of this initiative is a team of artists with disabilities composed of Inês Cóias and Mia Meneses, with support from artist and activist Diana Niepce, involving artists, activists, and institutional partners who have a direct relationship with the disability community. Through these partners, people with disabilities who are interested in co-creating a performance aimed at raising awareness and influencing Lisbon's population, political decision-makers, and organizations will be sought. Two public presentations of the performance in an "open studio" format are planned at the Marvila Library, based on the Legislative Theater methodology, which uses theater as a tool to stage social problems and generate collective reflection that influences political decision-making processes. In this way, the project aims to redesign power dynamics, identifying problems and co-producing solutions together with various social and political actors.

This pilot project is promoted by the European Union, INSPIRE, Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon, As Niepce's, with support from Lisbon City Council and Fundação GDA, in collaboration with Terra Amarela, Acesso Cultura, Centro de Vida Independente, Fundação LIGA and Centro de Medicina de Reabilitação de Alcoitão.

Process Phases

[This diagram shows a sequential process represented by three geometric shapes connected by a horizontal purple line with circles at the connection points. From left to right: a diamond shape in aqua green with the text "PLANNING" in black at the centre and the year "2024" in purple above it; a diamond shape in light yellow with the text "CO-CREATION AND IMPLEMENTATION" in black at the centre divided into two lines and the year "2025" in purple above it; and a diamond shape in light green with the text "EVALUATION" in black at the centre and the years "2026" and "2027" in purple above it. The purple line connecting the three shapes has purple circles at the intersection points between each shape and ends with a purple arrow pointing to the right after the third shape, representing a timeline of three phases extending from 2024 to 2027.]

Phase 1: Planning (September – December 2024)

In the first phase, a map of partners and relevant actors, both at local and municipal levels, was created by the ICS research team with assistance from the team of performers, and initial contacts with these actors were established. Simultaneously, literature on creative research methods, including Legislative Theater, to be applied in the Lisbon pilot project was reviewed.

Phase 2: Co-creation and Implementation (January – December 2025)

The co-creation process of the performance "Reunião" through the Legislative Theater methodology is divided into two moments:

During the first semester of 2025, there will be 4 individual sessions and 1 collective session with the network of partners (Terra Amarela, Acesso Cultura, Centro de Vida Independente, and Lisbon City Council). The individual meetings aim to establish close contact with partners to identify challenges, opportunities, good practices, and specific needs within each entity's area of activity. At the end of the first semester, there will be a collective session consisting of a forum for discussion and knowledge sharing among partners, with the goal of informing the performance to be developed, as well as future policies and practices.

During this semester, the ICS research team, together with the team of performers, will collect information on the following topics:

• Legislation concerning the community of people with disabilities;

• Key concepts present in the discourse on people with disabilities; and

• Legislative Theater. Throughout the second phase, the ICS research team will develop, together with the performance team, participants, and partners, a plan for participatory research.

Additionally, individual and collective sessions with partners will play an important role in assisting with information gathering, inviting potential community participants, and disseminating project activities.

In the second semester of 2025, 2 public meetings will be held, one at the Centro de Medicina de Reabilitação de Alcoitão and another at the Fundação LIGA, where we aim to raise awareness and reflect on disability-related policies. Additionally, in this series of meetings that seek to problematize issues related to disability, but also activism, 4 individual sessions and 1 collective session with activists from the disability community are planned. For the direct involvement of participants in the co-creation of the performance, 5 sessions will be held with them.

After the conclusion of the co-creation process, the pilot project culminates with two presentations in an "open-studio" format of the performance at the Marvila Library in Lisbon. At the end of 2025, a collective meeting for final reflection is planned, both on the process of co-creating the performance and on the results obtained.

Phase 3: Evaluation (January – September 2026)

The evaluation of the pilot project will be developed with the aim of publishing scientific outputs and reports with recommendations for the design of inclusive public policies. The final report and results obtained will be disseminated to a wide audience, including the scientific community, partners, policy makers, and civil society. At least three open meetings with different audiences are planned under the coordination of ICS in partnership with CML.