Living with disability and long term conditions

Entry requirements

Minimum 2:1 (or equivalent) plus either a masters degree or research methods training at masters level (or equivalent)

Months of entry

October

Course content

The School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care’s work in this area covers research on a wide spectrum of people’s experiences and care across the life course, including physical and learning disability and living with a long-term condition. Key strands include the social history of learning disability; theory; policy and practice in disability; advocacy for people with learning disabilities; disability, sexuality and reproductive health; disability and end-of-life issues; disability and diabetes; neurodiversity and autism; determinants of help-seeking for mental health-related issues and subsequent engagement with mental health services; the benefits and challenges of providing social support and for mental health issues; the mental health of mental health carers. Research in the field of long-term conditions includes the experience of co-morbidity (physical and mental health); motherhood, and issues around screening; caring policy; carers’ perspectives; diversity and gender; and the discursive construction of autism and ADHD. Projects in this area have also focused on the development of inclusive research methodologies, scoping reviews and life story work.

Collaboration with colleagues in other universities, with service-user and provider organisations, and with disabled people - in the UK and internationally - is a central component of research in this area.

Potential supervisors

• Dr Geraldine Boyle
• Professor Rose Barbour
• Dr Joyce Cavaye
• Dr Sarah Earle
• Dr Raymond Hickman
• Dr Caroline Holland
• Professor Cathy Lloyd
• Dr Sara MacKian
• Dr Sharon Mallon
• Dr Lindsay O’Dell
• Dr Joan Simons
• Dr Liz Tilley
• Dr Verina Waights

Department specialisms

- The social history of learning disability - Theory, policy and practice in disability - Learning disability and life story work - Learning disability and families - Advocacy for people with learning disabilities - Disability/long-term conditions and end-of-life issues - Disability, learning disability, and sexual and reproductive health - Disability and parenthood - Disability, learning disability and diabetes - The experiences of disabled children in the UK and internationally - The relationship between physical and mental ill-health - The health of people from minority ethnic groups - The differing experiences of people with long-term conditions - Neurodiversity and autism - Identity issues and autism or ADHD - Critical approaches to autism - Rehabilitation - Care of those living with disability and long-term conditions - Caring for a relative with disability and long-term conditions - Mental health - The role of new technologies in managing disability/long-term conditions

Fees and funding

Please see The Open University website http://www.open.ac.uk/postgraduate/research-degrees/fees-and-funding for more information.

Qualification and course duration

PhD

MPhil