Webinar: Ageing with Learning Disabilities

Presenter: Professor Sara Ryan

Abstract

People with learning disabilities live with many absences across their lives due to epistemic injustice and ignorance. These absences include respect, employment, sexual intimacy, parenthood and, as we found in our recent study Growing Older, Planning Ahead, ageing.

I discuss these findings and reflect on the role of research in actually changing things.

Biography

Sara Ryan is a Professor of Social Care with a portfolio of NIHR funded projects focusing on learning disabilities, autism, growing older, loneliness and the experiences of giving evidence at Fitness to Practice hearings.

Her research is underpinned by scholar activism and a commitment to research which makes a difference. She works with people with learning disabilities, self-advocates, autistic people, family carers, third sector organisations, health and social care professionals, human rights experts, journalists, politicians, economists and academics. Professor Ryan’s main research interests are around learning disability, autism, experiences of exclusion and regulatory processes. In the last three years, she has generated nearly £4m of National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funding as Principal Investigator. Since 2015 Professor Ryan has been a Principal or Co-investigator on 21 successful research grants funded by the NIHR, ESRC, Department of Health, University of Oxford Vice Chancellor Diversity Fund, Baily Thomas Foundation and the Van Houten fund.

Professor Ryan has a strong interest in qualitative research and pushing the boundaries of what is conventionally considered to be robust research. She looks forward to the point at which we drop the ‘co’s’ – co-research, co-production, co-design – and focus on researching together.

This webinar is part of our Autumn 2024 ExChange Wales Conference ‘Being Seen, Heard and Valued’.

You can find out more about the conference and sign up to our other webinars here: