GDI Hub researchers presented their work at Disability Research at Loughborough seminar

On 26^th November, Loughborough University’s Doctoral College hosted an online research seminar 'Disability Research at Loughborough' attended by 54 staff and students. The event, organised by Dr Katryna Kalawsky as part of her Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence, and in collaboration with the Global Disability Innovation Hub, showcased outstanding physical and mental disability research being undertaken by postgraduate researchers.

Loughborough researchers Amber Guest, Kim Hutton, Simon Briley, Lesley Sharpe, Chloe Blackwell, Eva Rodgers, Victor Jeganathan were joined by Tigmanshu Bhatnagar from UCL and presented research addressing a wide variety of topics including raising children with autism, breaking down exclusion barriers, physical activity in a secure psychiatric hospital, mental health of truck drivers, shoulder pain in wheelchair athletes and innovative tactile interfaces.

The event also raised awareness of disability support for staff and students at Loughborough University.

The online seminar on Disability Research at Loughborough was a great moment to share and celebrate Disability Research that is being done at Loughborough University. It was complemented with a small teaser from work done in the same field at the GDI Hub at UCL of which, Loughborough University is a founding partner. Research methods and findings from a wide variety of topics were presented that showcased various attributes of living with disabilities and efforts to make our world a better place for everyone.

The most notable feature from the talks was the human-centred approach each researcher had applied to either better understand a problem or develop solutions for it. It was an excellent platform to enrich the knowledge of disability research and build a network of likeminded people in this field. Information about disability services at Loughborough was also presented who doing an excellent job for students with disabilities at the university.

I look forward to the next version of this event with more research and discussions, all to make our world a little more inclusive.