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The IncludeAge Project - Inclusion of diverse older people in community and public places and virtual spaces |
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IncludeAge Newsletter
Summer Edition 2025 |
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Welcome to IncludeAge Summer Edition Special
This edition of our newsletter will bring to you some photos and activities that we have been up to over the past few weeks! |
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We were very proud to share our exhibition "Through Our Eyes, In Our Words" at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD) in June, exploring experiences of inclusion, belonging, and exclusion among mid-older LGBT+ people and people with learning disabilities. |
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Showcasing a moving collection of photographs and first-hand stories, the exhibition presented snapshots of everyday life, from ordinary moments of family, friendship, work, and community, to the life events that make us who we are. The photographs offered more than simple images, they spoke to powerful expressions of identity, joy, place, loneliness, and connection. Visitors were also invited to share their own reflections on inclusion and community, writing their words on a painted village. |
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The exhibition was attended by University staff, IncludeAge research participants, students, and members of the general public, and was very warmly received. A visiting Head of Nursing from NHS Fife, Sally O’Brien, said “it’s shining a light on the kinds of stories that can be overlooked, especially in healthcare. We need to be more mindful of these individuals’ and communities’ experiences if we want to be truly inclusive and person-centred.” One member of staff from the University called it: ‘brilliant! Very humbling and thought-provoking”, while another wrote to say it was “Fantastic,” having visited on a lunch break. Our online survey gathered similarly positive responses, with one person stating: “What a fantastic showcase of these underserved communities, providing interesting and real-world ‘snapshots’ of daily life. It made me want to learn more.” |
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The exhibition was attended by University staff, IncludeAge research participants, students, and members of the general public, and was very warmly received. A visiting Head of Nursing from NHS Fife, Sally O’Brien, said “it’s shining a light on the kinds of stories that can be overlooked, especially in healthcare. We need to be more mindful of these individuals’ and communities’ experiences if we want to be truly inclusive and person-centred.” One member of staff from the University called it: ‘brilliant! Very humbling and thought-provoking”, while another wrote to say it was “Fantastic,” having visited on a lunch break. Our online survey gathered similarly positive responses, with one person stating: “What a fantastic showcase of these underserved communities, providing interesting and real-world ‘snapshots’ of daily life. It made me want to learn more.” |
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We are currently planning to take the exhibition further afield, to reach more communities across the UK. |
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Collaboration Session on Inclusion |
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In a recent collaboration session with Co-Investigators of the IncludeAge project, we worked together to look closely at a set of photos and texts from the project. People shared different views on what inclusion means based on this material. Some saw the home as a positive space—a place where care is given, where people can relax, be creative, and feel included. These images showed home as a safe and welcoming environment. |
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Others, however, saw the home differently. For them, it also represented being cut off from the outside world and excluded from public spaces and community life. This contrast helped us see that inclusion is not always straightforward. It also reminded us that we need to pay attention not only to what is shown or said, but also to what is left out or not talked about. |
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The differences in how people viewed the images showed that inclusion and exclusion often exist side by side, shaped by each person’s unique situation and surroundings. |
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Co-Analysis Sessions with People who have a Learning Disability |
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In June, the IncludeAge team held a series of three workshops with people with learning disabilities. The purpose of these workshops was for people with learning disabilities to analyse the data we have generated from the life course interviews. They were held sequentially at Advocating Together, Dundee, People First Merseyside, Liverpool, and Dudley Voices for Choice, Dudley, with input and assistance from our third-sector partners, co-researchers, and advisory group members. |
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We used a method called "Making Ponds", itself the brainchild of our learning disabilities lead, Prof Darren Chadwick, to help workshop attendees visualise the themes we have developed and situate a number of quotes within those themes. In doing so, workshop attendees drew independently the same conclusions we had about the validity of our themes. However, this fact-checking, while important, was not the only result of these workshops. |
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Together with our attendees, we developed a further three themes about the experiences of our project participants. The researchers working on the learning disabilities data are now further analysing the data with these new perspectives and ideas in mind. |
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The importance of such analysis workshops is hard to overstate insofar as inclusive research is concerned - people with learning disabilities have helped shape our research not just as interview respondents, but as analysts, providing us with fresh ideas from the viewpoints of those with lived experience, ideas which from our own positionalities of privilege, might easily have been overlooked. |
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University of Hertfordshire Impact Forum |
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This photo was taken of Richard at the University of Hertfordshire Impact Forum event on June 10th. |
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As a recipient of an Economic and Social Research Council Impact Accelerator Award at the University, Richard was asked to produce a poster to tell others about his impact work with IncludeAge LGBT+ co-researchers, along with colleagues at the University of Hertfordshire.
The poster was well-received, and Richard has since used it to illustrate talks about the impact project. |
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This infographic below was produced by Engage Visually as part of Richard's workshop for Flourishing Lives on the 13th May this year. The workshop was funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and the Baring Foundation. |
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This infographic below was produced by Engage Visually as part of Richard's workshop for Flourishing Lives on the 13th May this year. The workshop was funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and the Baring Foundation. |
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British Society of Gerontology Conference |
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The photo below was taken of Kathryn and Richard giving a presentation at the British Society of Gerontology conference at the University of Surrey, 25-27th June this year. It isn't the clearest photo but Richard says it is definitely them! |
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Kathryn and Richard were on one of the first panels, and the paper they presented focused on how we care for participants' concerns about the current political moment and the safety of hard-won LGBT+ rights. They had lots of pertinent questions, and the audience was interested in the presentation, especially on bringing co-researchers into the analysis process. |
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We will be taking a wee break from regular newsletters and meetings over August, but we will be back from September 1st as usual.
During this time we are still here, and you can contact us either by replying to this email, or by visiting the 'Contact us' section of our website HERE |
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