I am Professor of Social Work at the University of Manchester where I also co-lead the SORD research group – a Deaf and hearing group working in BSL focussing on inequalities in health and social care affecting d/Deaf people across the lifespan.  

I am also a distinguished visiting professor at the Centre for Deaf Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.  I was conferred a fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences in 2016 in recognition of my contribution to the field of social research with d/Deaf people, and to social work.

In 2016, I won the Times Higher Award for outstanding research supervisor of the year. I am also a senior fellow of National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) School for Social Care Research (SSCR). I currently lead the national longitudinal study of deaf youth in transition to adulthood and the first study of the impact of interpreter mediated Mental Health Act assessments

Having lived with a serious debilitating condition most of my adult life, a great deal of my research work and academic teaching and student support is driven by a commitment to social justice, in all its forms.  Anything I am able to do to unlock the latent potential and talents of others is a key motivator in redressing the consequences of structural and interpersonal inequalities. I have previously served the University of Manchester as the Academic Lead for Disability Equality.