Announcement of doctoral theses

We have agreed to provide within the journal a list of completed theses in the field of Disability Studies. This will be an important resource for readers to follow through as well as to provide the names of colleagues who are new entrants to the discipline.

This is an open invitation for theses completed from 2014 which fit with the Aims and Scope of Disability & Society.

Please provide the following information:

Name of the author

Thesis title

University awarding degree

Degree awarded and year

A 100-word synopsis of the thesis

Email address

Please forward this information to Helen Oliver, Disability & Society Editorial Office. Email: [email protected]

We will include this call for Doctoral Announcements in forthcoming issues of the journal.

Executive Editors

Name of the author: Harriet Hummerstone

Thesis title: Facilitating Communication Between Students on the Autism Spectrum and Staff in Secondary Mainstream Schools

University awarding degree: University of Southampton, UK

Degree awarded and year: PhD, 2018

A two-phase study, with advice from autistic adults, explored the processes of communication and support in secondary mainstream schools. The first phase involved interviews with six students on the autism spectrum and seven staff members. The second phase of the study involved designing activities with students to facilitate communication, then asking educational practitioners how they might use the information from these activities. The findings from both phases of the research suggest that the importance of individual differences cannot be overstated when working with students on the autism spectrum, and that ‘being understood’ is crucial to students’ perceptions of effective support.

Email: [email protected]