Tom Andrews – ‘Challenging Notions of Sexual Behaviour’
This research explores different interpretations of ‘sexualised behaviours’ during the period of adolescence. A series of individual and group interviews have been conducted with the parents and supporting staff of young men on the autistic spectrum in order to locate interpretations and explore how these may be enabling or disabling. This research hopes to encourage more appropriate and sensitive ways of interpreting behaviour so that young men on the autistic spectrum may form positive sexual identity during adolescence.
Hannah Ebben- ‘Employing the metaphor in the analysis of autism as a discourse in film and the counter-metaphor as an inclusive tool for autistic people’
This research considers the concept of autism as a discourse, rather than a mental disorder through the analysis of films and videos. This intends to retrieve metaphors and counter-metaphors to conceptualise themes of autism. This aims to uncover the metaphors that the films and videos produce, whilst counter-metaphors offers words outside of the realm of ‘autism’ with the aim of facilitating new terminology and imagery by the autistic community within the context of activism and action research.
Joanna Baker-Rogers ‘Autism, Sociality and Friendship: A Qualitative Enquiry’
This research aimed to challenge the dominant discourse that persons with autism find it difficult to make friends and maintain friendships due to a lack of social skills. An emancipatory methodology was adopted that included the use of online environments. Content analysis of YouTube video blogs, online interviews and autobiographical accounts was undertaken to describe the meaning that persons with autism made from sociality and friendship. I argue that what is required is the recognition of the meaning of autistic sociality and friendship as trustworthy through broader constructions of these phenomena.
Julia Long- ‘Virtual Encounters: student social movements against academic (dis)ableism and the powers of Web 2.0 as a hub for participatory action and research’
This research explores the affordances and limitations of online social media as a virtual space for marginalised voices to come together. In response to government cuts to the ‘Disabled Students Allowance’ this research follows an online community of students self-identified as disabled who are engaging in online activism to ‘talk back’ to the system. This hopes to examines ways that the online domain offers a space for collective consciousness, peer support, re-representation, re-presentation, knowledge production and public outreach for ‘epistemic justice’.
Katharine Terrell- ‘How do we listen to those with no words? Research with people with learning difficulties’
This research considers practical and ethical approaches to working with people with severe or profound and multiple learning disabilities. In particular, this research hopes to explore ways that the subjective lived experiences and thoughts and feelings of these populations can be approached without imposing our own normative ways of thinking. This research also hopes to address the debates surrounding who can speak for whom.
Joanna Baker-Rogers (on behalf of the High Achievers Project)- ‘An assessment of the status of support for students with autism attending UK universities’
This research aimed to assess the status of support for students with autism attending UK universities. Our methodology used a questionnaire survey that was initially emailed to universities. Freedom of Information (FOI) Act requests were then issued to universities that did not respond. Our findings found a wide variability in the level and type of support provided to students with autism and tenuous compliance with disability discrimination law. Recommendations to raise standards included the adoption of the statutory guidance issued with the Adult Autism Strategy.
student symposium - Liverpoolhope 