Disability, Vulnerability, and Human Rights in Neurotechnology

Neuroethics 2025
Schedule
Registration

This panel explores ethical tensions surrounding disability and neurotechnology, focusing on vulnerability, justice, and access. Experts in philosophy, clinical practice, and disability advocacy will highlight pathways for inclusive, equitable neurotechnological governance.

Speakers:

  • Sonja Kleih-Dahms, University of Würzburg (speaker, in-person)
  • Anna Anita Mollo, Scuola Superiore Meridionale, University Institute for Doctoral Training, Naples (speaker, in-person)
  • Francisco Bariffi, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (speaker, virtual)
  • Silvia Salardi, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca (speaker, in-person)
  • Nathan Copeland, BCI Can Do Better (speaker, virtual)
  • Ashley Shew, Virginia Tech (speaker, virtual)
  • Philipp Kellmeyer, University of Mannheim / University Medical Center Freiburg (moderator)

Watch for free on Zoom »

Agenda

  1. Opening introduction / 5 mins
  2. Presentation from each panelist / 20 mins
  3. Panel discussion / 15 mins
  4. Interactive Q&A / 15 mins
  5. Closing statements / 5 mins

Attend

Neuroethics 2025
Friday, April 25, 2025
1:15-2:15pm CEST
Library

Zoom »

This session is open to the public. No password is required.

This discussion is being held as part of Neuroethics 2025, the joint annual meeting of the International Neuroethics Society (INS) and Società Italiana di Neuroetica (SINe). Register for the conference to participate virtually. Virtual participants can watch the live broadcast and submit questions to the discussion. All registrants get access to the recordings before the general public.

Description

Neurotechnologies offer transformative possibilities for people living with disabilities,
enhancing autonomy, communication, and motor function. However, these advancements
raise critical ethical questions that have thus far neglected the perspectives of people living
with disabilities. Without integrating their voices, neurotechnological innovation risks
deepening existing inequities, perpetuating vulnerability, and excluding those it purports to
benefit.

This 60-minute panel discussion will explore the role of disability in ethical discourses
surrounding neurotechnology, focusing on three interconnected dimensions: vulnerability,
human rights, and access. Specifically, the panel will address:

  • The ethical tension between empowerment through neurotechnology and the risk of increased surveillance, privacy violations, and dependency.
  • Barriers to equitable access to neurotechnological innovations for disabled individuals, including affordability, societal biases, and technological design.
  • How mental privacy, autonomy, and dignity can be protected when neurotechnologies are deployed for assistive and therapeutic purposes.

Drawing on interdisciplinary insights from philosophy, applied neurotechnology research,
human rights scholarship and disability studies, this session will foreground the lived
experiences and concerns of people with disabilities, offering a critical reflection on justice
and fairness in neurotechnology development and governance.

Resources

Keywords: Neurotechnology; disability; vulnerability; human rights

Speakers

Sonja Kleih-Dahms

University of Würzburg

Profile

Anita Mollo

Scuola Superiore Meridionale

Francisco Bariffi

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Profile

Silvia Salardi

Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca

Nathan Copeland
Ashley Shew

Department of Science, Technology, and Society
Virginia Tech

Profile

|