Disability at SHU
Sheffield Hallam University is home to a wide range of teaching and research activity focusing on the study of disability and inclusive education.
Mainly based within the Department of Education, Childhood and Inclusion (DECI), staff teaching and research interests cover theoretical, methodological and practical concerns. It is also home to the renowned Disability Research Forum (DRF), The Autism Centre and a thriving ‘Disability Studies and Inclusive Education Research and Scholarship’ Group (as part of the Education Research Network – below you’ll find some brief information on the members of this group).
Follow us on Twitter @shudisability
explore disability research at: www.disabilityresearchforum.wordpress.com
explore the autism centre at: www.theautismcentre.wordpress.com
explore the Education Research Network at Sheffield Hallam University
People
Dr Luke Beardon: l.beardon@shu.ac.uk – Senior Lecturer in Autism (DECI). Luke’s research interests focus around Autism and Asperger syndrome, in particular as related to support for the individual, crime, post diagnostic support, individual perception, and families. Click here for profile.
Dr Nick Hodge: n.s.hodge@shu.ac.uk – Principal Lecturer and Reader, DECI, Sheffield Hallam University, UK. Nick’s professional background was in supporting disabled children and their families in schools for over 15 years. His research interests focus around the issues that impact on the education, development and well-being of disabled people and their families. Nick is also the Leader for Disability Studies and Inclusive Education Research Group (DECI) and teaches on the MA Autism as well as supervising doctoral students on the EdD and PhD programme. Click here for profile.
Dr Steve Jones: s.c.jones@shu.ac.uk – Senior Lecturer and Course Leader for Education, Learning and Support (DECI). Steve’s research and academic interests are in the fields of educational leadership, challenging urban communities, comparative study, inclusion and policy.
Dr Manny Madriaga: m.madriaga@shu.ac.uk – Research Fellow in Institutional Research at the Learning and Teaching Institute. Manny’s main interests revolve around processes of social inclusion/exclusion; ‘race’ and ethnic studies; disability studies; and inclusive curriculum within higher education. Click here for profile.
Dr Rebecca Mallett: r.mallett@shu.ac.uk – Senior Lecturer in Disability Studies (DECI) and allied with the Cultural, Communication and Computing Research Institute (C3RI). Rebecca’s main areas of research include ‘disability’ in popular culture, the constitution and regulation of interpretative strategies within Cultural Disability Studies and, more recently, the commodification of impairment. She is the Course Leader for BA (Hons) Education and Disability Studies, provides ‘disability’ related sessions for a variety of other courses such as the Graduate Diploma in Youth Work and supervises doctoral students on the EdD and PhD programme. Click here for profile.
Dr Jenny Slater: j.slater@shu.ac.uk – Lecturer in Education and Disability Studies, Sheffield Hallam University. Jenny’s research interests include understanding cultural constructions of youth, gender, sexuality and disability as they intersect with one-another. Click here for profile.
Dr Mitzi Waltz: m.waltz@shu.ac.uk – Senior Lecturer in Autism. Mitzi’s research interests include Autism and Asperger Syndrome but also range over disability studies more widely. She has been involved in a number of research and educational projects related to the autism spectrum, and has a particular interest in the history of autism, media images of autism, and issues of ethics and inclusion in disability research.
Doctoral Research
***coming soon***
Teaching and Doctoral Supervision
The team lead the BA (Hons) Education and Disability Studies; PG Certificate in Asperger Syndrome, PG Diploma/MA Autism. The team also supervise a number of EdD and PhD candidates with subjects ranging from teachers’ understandings of inclusion to the meanings young people with the label of autism make of sexual development. Socio-cultural understandings of disability are encouraged in all courses and staff are committed to inclusive teaching and assessment practices.
Below is an image entitled ‘Social Model Soldier’ by Lucia Coello-Lage, a third-year student on BA (Hons) Education and Disability Studies, reflecting the way in which students are encouraged to take the knowledge they gain out into the world at large. 
