On July 8, 2026, L’ADAPT organised the first EQUICARES warm-up event and co-creation workshop in its pilot zone in Évreux, Normandy, bringing together people with disabilities and local stakeholders to discuss how to improve access to mental health care and shape the future services of the EQUICARES Smart Health Lab (SHL).

The event aimed to directly involve end-users from the very beginning of the project and ensure that the future SHL responds to real-life needs and experiences. The day combined an awareness-raising session about EQUICARES with an interactive co-creation workshop designed to collect participants’ ideas, challenges and expectations.

The warm-up event provided an accessible and welcoming introduction to the project. Participants and visitors were invited to discover EQUICARES through visual and easy-to-understand materials, including flyers, posters and explanatory documents developed in a “semi-FALC” (Easy-to-Read and Understand format, non-certified). This inclusive communication approach encouraged exchanges and helped raise awareness about the project’s objectives.

The second part of the day focused on the co-creation workshop, which gathered around thirty participants, most of whom were people with disabilities supported by L’ADAPT. After an introduction to EQUICARES and the objectives of the Smart Health Lab, participants were invited to share their ideas through a simple and creative question: “If you had a magic wand, what would you put in place to improve access to mental health care?”

As many participants were discovering the project for the first time, the discussion focused on concrete challenges, possible solutions, local resources and communication needs rather than on the future governance structure of the SHL. This approach allowed participants to freely express their experiences and contribute meaningful insights.

Participants identified several key challenges, including transport and mobility difficulties that limit access to healthcare and support services, barriers to employment transitions such as disability-related discrimination, lack of adapted opportunities and repeated rejection, as well as social isolation, especially among young people experiencing multiple forms of discrimination, including LGBT youth. They also highlighted difficulties accessing information and healthcare, including navigating services, encouraging help-seeking, overcoming technological barriers and finding more accessible forms of care. To address these issues, participants proposed solutions such as improving information on transport support, raising employer awareness, creating local meeting spaces and intergenerational activities, developing collaborative initiatives (e.g., gardening and skills-sharing networks), promoting animal-assisted interventions, strengthening preventive healthcare, improving the distribution of healthcare professionals, facilitating access to consultations, and enhancing communication through clearer information, simpler messaging from healthcare providers and stronger coordination among local actors.

The outcomes of this first EQUICARES co-creation worksh p confirm the importance of involving end-users in the design of the Smart Health Lab. The contributions collected will directly support the development of inclusive, user-centered services that respond to the realities of people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.

Beyond the ideas generated, the workshop also demonstrated the value of creating safe and welcoming spaces where participants feel empowered to share their experiences and actively contribute to building more accessible mental health systems.