Impression of recent presentations 

7 April 2025, Keynote, Qualitative Research Group conference, University of Groningen, the Netherlands

'Exploring Arts-Based Methods in Research and Education' - Bettina van Hoven (Speaker), Julia Doornbos (Contributor) and Anna Lebedieva (Contributor)
Traditional academic research and education often prioritize text-based, objective knowledge, yet many lived experiences—such as disability, identity, and spatial belonging—cannot be fully captured in words alone. This presentation explores the potential of arts-based methods to engage affect, materiality, and collaboration in research and teaching. Drawing on examples, including a disability awareness education project and a research collaboration with a graphic designer, I demonstrate how visual and narrative storytelling facilitates deeper emotional and critical engagement. Through an Actor-Network Theory (ANT) lens, I highlight how knowledge is co-constructed through social, material, and artistic networks. By challenging conventional paradigms, arts-based approaches not only make research more accessible but also create spaces for ethical and transformative learning. The talk concludes by reflecting on the broader implications for interdisciplinary collaboration, public engagement, and social change.

26 March 2025, Annual Meeting of the American Association of Geographers. Detroit, USA (Online)

'Designing Disruption. A Collaborative Exploration of Accessibility and Inclusion through Graphic Storytelling' - Bettina van Hoven (Speaker), Julia Doornbos (Speaker) and Anna Lebedieva (Speaker)
In this presentation, we explore a case study of developing knowledge sharing products from a participatory research project involving wheelchair users with multiple disabilities who co-researched accessibility and inclusion in the city of Groningen, the Netherlands. As part of the knowledge sharing, our intention was to create engaging and inspirational books. One specifically speaks to local councillors who work on creating policy for inclusive urban spaces, and particularly addressing the UN Declaration on the Rights of People with Disabilities. The  other showcases arts-based research carried out by teams comprising a collaboration between people with disabilities, geography students and students from an arts academy. 

Our aim was to let the books tell their stories through graphic design as much as the contents. We collaborated with Anna Lebedieva, a graphic designer whose interest focuses on the role of graphic design in promoting diverse communication and bringing complex issues to the attention of a broader public. In our case study, in addition to creating a celebratory narrative about involving co-researchers with a disability, the intention was to integrate an experience of discomfort, interruption and disruption as this represents key, everyday experiences of wheelchair users in the city through the graphic design of our book. The presentation briefly introduces the participatory research and then discusses opportunities and challenges in collaborating and communicating in the process of creating our artistic mediums (e.g., different work practices, expectations, communication styles, power dynamics).

5 February 2025, GEO Lecture, Wageningen University, the Netherlands

'Break Out- Learning about Disability and the Inclusive City through Emotion and Affect' - Bettina van Hoven (Speaker)
In this presentation, I discuss the role of affect and emotion in teaching and learning by drawing on the case of an interdisciplinary, arts-based and participatory educational project, ‘Break Out’/ ‘Show Yourself’. The case entails a collaboration between people with multiple physical impairments, students from the Geography and Planning degree programme (and later also from the Liberal Arts and Sciences programme) at the University of Groningen, and students from the Art Academy Minerva, also in Groningen. The presentation draws on a rich data set of student reflections, students’ fieldwork photos and photos of their visual storytelling through knowledge sharing activities. Using an ‘Affective Pedagogies framework’, I discuss different spaces in which students engaged in learning about disability and the inclusive city though emotion and affect. I highlight the way in which learning spaces might allow for struggle, joy as well as discomfort, as necessary for learning. 

9 October 2024, Geodienst Lustrum: Making Spatial Connections, University of Groningen, the Netherlands

'Participatory mapping: Engaging people with disabilities in map making' - Julia Munuera Garcia (Speaker) 

1 October 2024, Stedelijk Netwerk Diversiteit, Groningen, the Netherlands

'This Abled City' - Bettina van Hoven (Speaker) 

27 August 2024, 35th International Geographical Congress, Dublin City University, Ireland

'Game Development as a Research Practice: Involving People with Disabilities in Research through Design Thinking Methodologies' - Julia Munuera Garcia (Speaker), Bettina van Hoven (Contributor) and Julia Doornbos (Contributor)

13 July 2024, Open Workshop: New Horizons in Geography with New Perspectives for Society and Space, Osaka University, Japan

''This Abled City' - Everyday Geographies of Being and Becoming Disabled' - Bettina van Hoven (Speaker)

18 June 2024, Praedinius high school students workshop,  University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands

'De stad voor iedereen?' - Bettina van Hoven (Speaker), Leon Lodder (Speaker) and Julia Munuera Garcia (Speaker)

30 April 2024, Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA), Learning Planet Institute and Université Paris Cité, France

'Mapping the Inclusive City: Participatory Mapping and Design Thinking' - Julia Munuera Garcia (Speaker), Bettina van Hoven (Contributor) and Madelief Fisher (Contributor)

The research project "Mapping the Inclusive City" developed an interactive map for data collection, using smartphone-based technology and geospatial tools like ArcGIS, that allows wheelchair users in Groningen (the Netherlands) to assess accessibility in the city. The project used participatory methods and the design thinking process to develop the map in collaboration with clients at 's HeerenLoo, a care and housing facility for people with disabilities, as co-researchers. The project engaged co-researchers in the different stages of the research. This presentation focussed on the strengthens of participatory mapping through design thinking as an iterative process of co-designing a tool for data collection centred on its users.

17 April 2024, Royal Roads University, Canada

'Being and becoming disabled. Participatory (action) research with people with disabilities' - Bettina van Hoven (Speaker)

5 March April 2024, Radboud University, the Netherlands

'Affect, Arts and Didactics' - Bettina van Hoven (Speaker) 

29 February 2024, Cities and Governance Seminar Series, Lingnan University, Hong Kong

'Mapping the Inclusive City' - Bettina van Hoven (Invited speaker), Julia Munuera Garcia (Invited speaker) and Madelief Fisher (Contributor)
During this seminar we presented the project “Mapping the Inclusive City”, a community-based participatory research project addressing the Geographies of Disability in the city of Groningen (the Netherlands). In this project, researchers at the University of Groningen (UG) and residents at ‘s Heeren Loo (an organisation that provides housing and care for people with disabilities) co-created an interactive map using smartphone technology (ArcGIS), which serves as a data collection method to map the accessibility and inclusivity of public spaces in Groningen. In this seminar, we explained how we used design thinking to enable people with different literacies, positionalities and skills to work together in research as co-researchers. 

8 June 2023, Università di Trento, Italy

'Mapping the Inclusive City' - Bettina van Hoven (Speaker), Julia Munuera Garcia (Speaker) and Madelief Fisher (Speaker)

In this conference we presented on how can we include people with disabilities as equal partners of research. Although equality is difficult to achieve in this case, we proposed a method based on community-participatory research, design thinking and equity.

8 March 2023, Wageningen University, the Netherlands

'Carving Out the Space: a reflexive workshop on PAR' - Bettina van Hoven (Speaker)