Meet the Team

Professor Tom Shakespeare

My primary research interests are in disability studies, medical sociology, and in social and ethical aspects of genetics. I have had a long involvement with the disabled people’s movement in UK and internationally. In the context of disability arts, I have also been active in arts and culture, and was a member of Arts Council England from 2003-2008. While at Newcastle University, I developed an interest in science communication and public engagement, and helped develop the café scientifique movement in UK and across the world, as well as promoting sci-art projects. During my five years at WHO, I helped produce and launch key reports such as the World Report on Disability (WHO 2011) and International Perspectives on Spinal Cord Injury (WHO 2013), and was responsible for the UN statement on forced, coerced and otherwise involuntary sterilization (WHO 2014). This grew my interest in disability and international development.

Katie Graham

I am based at the University of York in the Department of Social Policy and Social Work. I have been interested in support or assistance relationships since working with people who have learning difficulties who were employing and managing their own support. The Workplace Personal Assistant project was an exciting opportunity to learn more about what helps make assistance relationships work in different contexts. We hope you find the insights from the people involved in the project helpful if you are employing a personal assistant to support you at work or are working as a personal assistant in your employer’s workplace.

David Shenton

David is the artist who provided the illustrations for this course.