Speakers
Presentation
If higher education in the UK is to become more inclusive for students with disabilities, it is essential that the voices of staff with disabilities are heard and their needs realised. This session presents the findings from the first national survey of disabled staff in UK higher education engaging with colleagues. The survey findings highlight significant structural and process issues impacting the translation of disability inclusion approaches into practice within higher education, cognisant of the ongoing financial challenges facing the sector, and wider concerns, including access to healthcare within the UK. This session is an opportunity to explore the implications of these findings in promoting a more integrated approach to disability inclusion within and across universities.
Professor Carol Evans is a global leader in research-informed inclusive pedagogy. She is the PVC Education and Student Experience at the University of Salford, Manchester. Previous roles include Principal Assessor for England’s Office for Students, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) at Griffith University (Australia), Chair of Higher Education and Academic Lead of HEFi at the University of Birmingham, Professor and Co-Director of Southampton’s Centre for Higher Education, and Board member at the University of Bournemouth. She is a member of the British Council’s Higher Education Sector Group and an Honorary Visiting Professor at Cardiff University. She is a National Teaching Fellow and Principal Fellow.
Carol has produced world-leading research in assessment in higher education. Her inclusive Assessment Framework (EAT) has been successfully applied within UK and international contexts. Professor Evans is passionate about enhancing disability inclusion, and in working collaboratively with partners across the UK and internationally to realise this. Recent work includes the development of an integrated disability inclusion framework; the TASO what works disability inclusion review, and analyses of UK and international students with disabilities experiences of UK higher education with the British Council. She also leads the research strategy for Realising Inclusion for Disabled Employees in higher education (RIDE Higher).