Collaborating with Higher Education Institutions
Higher Education Knowledge Sharing
Work collaboratively with university professors and academic staff on data informed research-based evidence programmes.
I worked with Access SUMMIT (AS) indirectly in 1998 and 1999 as a guide, advisor, and internship provider, and directly from 2000 to 2005 as a Needs Assessor and Specialist Software Skills Trainer. During this time, I also assisted a University of Salford Learning Support secondee to AS in organizing a summer internship programme for disabled students studying at the University of Salford.
Access SUMMIT was established in 1997 by Professor Gerald Conroy, and a consortium of higher education professionals. In 2019, it was rebranded as The University of Manchester – Disability Advisory and Support Service (DASS). At the time in 1997 and up through 2019 the centre was one of the UK’s largest and leading integrated HE-based assessment and support providers.
I also established London Business School’s (LBS) first award-winning Student Support Service for disabled students. According to a senior member of LBS management, the model, policies, and procedures I developed were subsequently adopted by staff supporting disabled students across many of the Colleges that make up the University of London’s federated system.
Today, I am exchanging information and observing what works and what doesn’t in collaboration with higher education institutions and their researchers, locally, nationally and internationally. Insights gathered from these working sessions inform future governance, initiatives, support individuals, and guide me in my professional practice.
Working relationships with professors, academic, and non academic staff:
• The Pennsylvania State University (aka Penn State University) USA
• University of Kentucky USA
• University of London Federation members including London Business School (LBS)
• University of Manchester
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill USA
• Salford University
• Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU)
• University of Linz Austria