We Are the People – Bath Spa University

Disability activists and researchers at Bath Spa University have been awarded a five-year Wellcome Trust-funded grant.

Who are we?

We're a small research team of disabled academics and non-disabled allies engaged in disability research and disability activism.

We've been awarded a five-year, £1million grant from the Wellcome Trust to explore issues which affect disabled people in South West England.

What are we doing?

All of our projects and events are to be ‘co-produced’ with disabled people and disabled people’s organisations. This means that our research aims and topics, our research methods, and how we share our findings will be shaped by disabled people.
We will employ three disabled people, allies and carers to disabled people each year over a period of three years to explore themes such as Activism and Protest, Disabled People’s Organisations and LGBTQIA+ issues.
Making organisations and the community more aware of research and activism taking place across the entire South West.
Exploring how universities can best support disabled people’s research, and share this information with academics and organisations.

How are we achieving this?

We are:

Creating local research ‘themes’ so that the voices of disabled people in the South West can be heard.
Creating an advisory panel to join disabled and non-disabled people in the region to direct the network.
Providing the opportunity to become a research fellow working with the University to address disabled people’s issues.
Getting involved with public engagement sessions such as festivals, exhibitions and shows that demonstrate disabled people’s research.
Creating a new, innovative research training course led by disabled people as agents for change.

How can you get involved?

Our current research themes are:

Activism and Protest
Disabled People’s Organisations
LGBTQIA+.

In 2024 we will begin our new themes:

BAME
Creative Arts
PMLD.

Below are some examples of how you can engage with the project.

Working Groups

We engage with working groups to support the formation of our research themes.

We ask people to contribute to up to six (online) meetings a year for which you will be reimbursed for your time.

Community Research Fellows

We will also be offering three part-time, paid roles for disabled people, allies and carers of disabled people to become Community Research Fellows to respond to the new research themes.

These are likely to be advertised in Spring 2024 and again in Spring 2025.