Nicola Martin

About Nicola Martin

Professor Nicola Martin: Building Future Communities Research Centre Lead LSBU

My academic discipline is Critical Disability Studies and my advisory role within NADP relates to bridging the gap between academia and professional services functions as I have worked in both areas and feel very strongly that everyone concerned with student experience needs to work together with students at the heart of the process and disability needs to be viewed through social model and intersectional understandings. I developed the education doctorate at LSBU which includes colleagues working on disability services. I have been involved with NADP from the beginning as a long standing board member and editor of The Journal of Inclusive Practice in FE and HE. I was Chair for six years up until 2012. I am part of the team delivering NADP training on working with autistic students.

The principle of ‘nothing about us without us’ underpins my research career and is relevant to my current role leading the Building Future Communities Research Centre at LSBU. My expertise lies in co-production, participatory research and creative methodologies and I have successfully developed sustained collaborations within and beyond academia and LSBU with, for example charities, creatives, and local authorities. I have an international reputation for inclusive practice in research, teaching, and learning.

I am currently focussing on understanding ways in which the pandemic was experienced by disabled researchers, The Baroness Hollins Review of long stay hospital provision for autistic adults and adults with learning disabilities, and the Lord Buckland Review of Autism and Employment. These initiatives will be feeding into an Impact Case Study for the next REF at LSBU which will also involve work around developing research informed enterprise activity. I am editing a range of books for Critical Publishing, NADP and Pavilion. These focus on autism, wellbeing and fulfilment, the disabled student commitment and UDL.

Part of my LSBU role involves working with the LSBU community and the HE sector to enhance the student experience and I am currently collaborating on this with colleagues and external organisations and frequently present at various conferences on the theme of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) My professorship is in social justice and inclusive education, and I have a National Teaching Fellowship for my work on Universal Design for Learning.