I am a Senior Educator Developer and lead work on fostering inclusive education practice at the University of Exeter with the aim of making learning at university inclusive and accessible for everyone. I have previously worked in higher education as a Disabled Students’ Allowance-funded Specialist Autism and Mental Health Mentor, and a Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisor. I have also worked in further education as a sixth form college mental health practitioner, and in primary education as an SEND classroom support assistant. I have recently been awarded an ESRC doctoral studentship to study neurodiversity in higher education in the School of Education at Exeter. 

I co-ordinate the University’s Neurodiversity Celebration Week activities and have set up and run our Neurodiversity Café; our social group for neurodivergent staff and postgraduate researchers.  

Since 2021, I have received three Above and Beyond awards in recognition of my excellent contribution to inclusion at the University of Exeter, and have recently been shortlisted for a Professional Services Recognition Award for my inclusion work at the University.  

Subject specialism:  

• Holistic and intersectional support for neurodivergent students in higher education 
• Community-led participatory research methods 
• Person-centred and compassionate pedagogy 

Interests  

• Community-led autism and wider neurodiversity research 
• Equality, diversity, and inclusion in higher education  
• Mental health support in education  
• Supervision and self-care for educators 

Qualifications 

• Master of Education in Special Education (Autism Adults) from University of Birmingham (Distinction), 2022 
• Postgraduate Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling from Chichester Counselling Services, 2014 
• Legal Practice Course from Guildford School of Law, 2000 
• Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from University of Durham, 1999
  

Awards  

• Annie Deakin Award for Most Novel and Original Dissertation, School of Education, University of Birmingham 2022 
• Shortlisted for Professional Services Recognition Award (Inclusion), 2022 
• Three Above and Beyond Awards (Inclusion), 2021-2022 

Research Networks, Memberships and other Training  

• Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, Units 1-5, University of Exeter, 2022 
• Founding member Researchers and Students on Neurodiversity network (ReASoN), Universities of Exeter and Bristol 
• Founder Neurodiversity Network, University of Exeter 
• Member Autism Centre for Education Research, University of Birmingham 
• Master Autism Mentors in Higher Education working group, Centre for Research in Autism and Education, UCL 
• Counselling Children and Young People, Chichester Counseling Services, 2013 
• Safeguarding Young People in Education, EduCare, 2019 
• Teaching English as a Foreign Language (SOAS, 1995)