Disability Matters

A major six year pan-national programme of disability, health and science research, funded by a Wellcome Trust Discretionary Award (2023 - 2029)

A messy desk with a laptop, crumpled notes and papers.

Professional Services, Disability & Inclusive Research Cultures

Interested in research culture, inclusive practices and EDI in higher education?

Join us for an online event on 3rd July.

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Disability as driving subject of inquiry

Logos of the five collaborating Universities
Logos of the five collaborating Universities

Our Universities

A global collaboration of universities committed to transforming health research and environments through a paradigm shift to disability as the driving subject of inquiry
The logo of the Wellcome Trust
The logo of the Wellcome Trust

Our Funders

Our project is funded by a Wellcome Discretionary Award - find out more about our funders
An image of a modern town crier
An image of a modern town crier

News

Latest news from the Disability Matter's team

Collaboration

Image 'wheelchair barbie from the 90s hangs with the disability politics books" by Liz Henry is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.
Image 'wheelchair barbie from the 90s hangs with the disability politics books" by Liz Henry is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.

Disabled People's Organisations

Our International Research Advisory Board includes representatives of disabled people's organisations from five countries who will hold the research programme to account: to ensure the aspirations of disabled people are represented in our work
An image of the office windows of the Arts Tower University of Sheffield - original image 'A tidy mess' - arts tower, university of sheffield, england" by Paolo Margari | paolomargari.eu is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
"a tidy mess - arts tower, university of sheffield, england" by Paolo Margari | paolomargari.eu is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

An international team of researchers

We bring together a team of disabled and non-disabled researchers from India, Singapore, Australia, Canada and the UK
An image of a disabled activist holding a sign reading 'Nothing about us without us' by Elisney is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
An image of a disabled activist holding a sign reading 'Nothing about us without us' by Elisney is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Our aims

We want to challenge the 'absent presence' of disability in science and research.

Work

The spines of a number of critical disability studies texts
An image of the spines of a number of critical disability studies texts

Scholarship

How is health research, theory and scholarship transformed by an engagement with critical disability studies?
'Arrests of disability activists at protest of California health care budget cuts' by Steve Rhodes is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
'Arrests of disability activists at protest of California health care budget cuts' by Steve Rhodes is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Priorities

What are the health priorities of disabled people in Australia, Canada, India, Singapore and the United Kingdom?
prn possibilities

Methodologies

What kinds of research methodologies represent disabled people and their health priorities?
A collective of dolls presented on a window sill to capture community
A collective of dolls presented on a window sill to capture community

Environments

How does the presence of disability enable more inclusive health research environments?
A poster with joy written on it behind a poster of Marx to capture different representations
A poster with joy written on it behind a poster of Marx to capture different representations

Representations

In what ways can we reimagine representations of disability in health research?
A photo image of Frida Kahlo warning against the dangers of commodifying equality and diversity
A photo image of Frida Kahlo warning against the dangers of commodifying equality and diversity

Development

How do we build a new generation of disabled and disability-positive health researchers?

Outputs

institutions prn image

Transforming EDI through disability

Our ambitious plans to transform Equality, Diversity and Inclusion through disability
A photo of sewing notions to depict knowledge exchange
a photo of sewing notions to depict knowledge exchange

Knowledge Exchange

Our aspirations to share knowledge across the university, health and science sectors
spiral metal images of disability and ability
spiral metal images of disability and ability

Publications

Publications from the Disability Matters team