Biography

The majority of my professional experience has been spent working in public and third sector organizations, principally in relation to education and social justice. Currently I am employed as a policy officer for a national disabled peoples’ charity. Disabled adults make up around 20% of the working age population. The opportunities for the world’s largest social minority are significantly lower than for others. Poverty, lower levels of educational attainment and an unemployment rate way below that of non-disabled adults demonstrates the continued need to address disability-related inequality. My role involves highlighting the many ways in which people with impairments are disabled by structural, procedural and attitudinal barriers created and maintained by society. My work provides guidance to governmental departments, politicians, employers and service providers.

I applied to undertake a PhD following completion of my occupational psychology master’s in 2011. I was interested to combine the theoretical and methodological principles on this subject with my understanding of disability. I have often been concerned at the lack of evidence-based practice in this area. In addition to the apparent absence of consideration by occupational psychology and management academics of disability theory. Essentially my motivation for doing a PhD is to better understand the workplace experiences of disabled employees and how organizational structures and processes uniquely affect them.

Research Interests

My research is positioned at the intersection between disability and competitive employment. Disability is most often conceptualised as an individualistic, medically orientated, deficit within work contexts. However by adopting a social-relational model of disability, environmental barriers become the main focus for analysis and development. This can help to relieve some of the pressure on disabled employees to maintain organisational norms. Although my research is neither participatory nor emancipatory in nature, the aim of producing applied recommendations to improve current practice is a priority.

I am interested in all research relating to disability and employment, particularly by the ways in which the conceptualisation of disability and impairment can be constructed between macro, meso and micro level considerations. My own work specifically explores:

• The role of managerial practices in relation to the recruitment, inclusion, retention and promotion of disabled employees
• The impact of organisational decision making on disabled people, e.g. through the psychological contract
• Psychological impact of organisational practices and culture on disabled employees
• The outcomes of workplace experiences on individual wellbeing and affectivity
• The process of securing reasonable adjustments

More broadly these interests go beyond my own academic disciplines to encompass the definitions and conceptualisation of disability, measurement at both national and international levels and developments to disability theory, particularly in relation to the social model.

Teaching

I have worked alongside academic colleagues supporting the tuition of psychology undergraduates. When required I also support the Occupational Psychology team with postgraduate students on their master’s programme.