We Are the People
Disability activists and researchers at Bath Spa University have recently 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 develop a disability research network in South West England.
What do we want to do?
In our network, we want:
- All of our projects and events 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 wil be shaped by disabled people.
- To make organisations and the community more aware of research and activism taking place across the entire South West.
- To discover how universities can best support disabled people’s research, and share this information with academics and organisations.
How can we achieve this?
We have a range of activities planned, including:
- Creating local research ‘hubs’ 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?
In 2022, we hosted the Corsham Festival of Inclusion, Disability and Community Action. We also hosted a free community discussion event at Corsham Town Hall, where panel of disability, education, research and community activists and experts shared experiences, unpicked issues and explained what ‘research’ is and how it can support the community.
If you attended our community discussion at Corsham Town Hall or the Corsham Festival of Inclusion, Disability and Community Action, we would be grateful if you could let us know your experiences. One of the ways you can do this is by completing our online survey. If you are interested, please access this online survey link, where more information will be provided.
We’d love to hear from you. If you’d like to get involved please email the team: wearethepeople@bathspa.ac.uk
- Dr Tanvir Bush
- Dr Stuart Read
- Dr Ben Simmons
- Dr Theo Blackmore
- Hazel Vernon, Project Manager
- Lulu Richards Cottell, Project Assistant