I'm Helen - a PhD candidate who is still as excited to have been awarded a 1+3 DTP scholarship by the Midlands Graduate School, as the day my proposal was accepted!

My background is in post-compulsory education, specifically involving students who have learning disabilities (known as 'intellectual disabilities'  in IRL, USA and AUS) and are autistic - a journey which began about 25 years ago. 

My teaching style has always been facilitative and supportive of students' autonomy in learning, and I have found student-led projects to be a successful way of achieving this. So, it makes sense that I am drawn to participatory research methods.

Until September 2024, I worked as a part-time Autism Advisor at a specialist college for 16-25 year olds who have learning disabilities and are autistic, and was the provision's Lead Trainer with Autism Education Trust (Post-16).

I am currently working as a Research Assistant helping to develop a research bid for a study looking at ways of capturing the value of Alternative Provisions.