Research Projects and Impact
My research connects educational inquiry with inclusive policy and practice. These examples distinguish ongoing programmes, feasibility work, and completed projects, and link to outputs where they are publicly available.
Inclusive Higher Education and Pathways to Employment
Purpose: to understand and improve access, meaningful learning, belonging, and progression into employment for people with intellectual disabilities.
My contribution: as Director of TCPID since July 2024, I lead research and innovation connecting learners and graduates, researchers, policymakers, and business partners.
Status and contribution: ongoing research, educational development, and evaluation inform curriculum and practice. TCPID’s published accounts illustrate the development of education-to-employment pathways; individual experiences should be read in their context.
Explore TCPID’s work and published updates.
INCLUDE-ID: Collaborative Learning and National Development
Purpose: to support inclusive higher-education provision through collaborative research, guidance, and professional learning.
My contribution: project leadership of the HEA-funded INCLUDE-ID initiative, connecting research, practice, and lived experience.
Outputs: the September 2026 record includes Building Inclusive Higher Education for Learners with Intellectual Disabilities. The network also supports knowledge exchange, practitioner workshops, and shared learning about course development.
Explore INCLUDE-ID and its activities. For enquiries about the 2026 report, please contact me.
Assessment Transformation and Universal Design
Purpose: to connect assessment transformation with educational design that anticipates learner diversity and reduces barriers.
My contribution and dates: Co-Principal Investigator on Trinity’s Assessment Transformation and Universal Design Programme, commencing June 2026.
Status: programme development. This complements my wider scholarship on UD and UDL, including Adopting a UDL Attitude within Academia, co-authored with Mary Quirke and Patricia McCarthy.
Easy Read Bureau: Experts by Experience
Purpose: to explore a model for accessible communications that places students and graduates with intellectual disabilities at the centre of designing and testing information.
My contribution: Principal Investigator on a feasibility initiative supported by Trinity’s Arts and Social Sciences Benefactions Fund in 2025.
Status: feasibility and business-model development in the September 2026 record. The proposed Bureau connects information accessibility with opportunities for inclusive employment. Its potential benefits are being explored through development work.
Northern Ireland: Pathways to Inclusion
Purpose: to contribute evidence about inclusive higher education for young people with intellectual disabilities in Northern Ireland.
My contribution and dates: Principal Investigator for TCPID’s commissioned contribution with Stranmillis University College to Department for the Economy-supported work, 2024–2025.
Output: the Pathways to Inclusion feasibility report, launched in 2025. TCPID contributed its experience of pathways into, through, and beyond higher education, alongside international perspectives.
Read TCPID’s account of the report launch and contribution.
HiAi SEN Feasibility
My contribution: Co-Principal Investigator on the Enterprise Ireland-supported HiAi SEN Feasibility project, commencing May 2026.
Status: feasibility-stage work in the September 2026 record. Please contact me for information about this developing collaboration.
Earlier Research and Continuing Themes
22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome
My research has explored educators’ understanding of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome and the experiences of pupils and families. This remains a strand of my wider interest in disability, rare disease, and educational opportunity.
Social Media and Professional Practice
Earlier collaboration with Gloria Kirwan examined social media, professional boundaries, and ethical questions for educators and social workers, including publications in 2013 and 2014 and work supported by Trinity’s Arts and Social Sciences Benefactions Fund.
Academic Impact and Digital Engagement
A 2014 project, supported by research intern Sarah Tait, explored how academics in professional disciplines might understand and communicate their impact through digital engagement.
Outputs and Collaboration
See my publications for research outputs, and Research Collaboration and Networks for partnerships and international researcher development.