Dr Ieva Eskyte

Profile

I am a lecturer in Social Policy (Teaching and Research), specialising in Disability Studies, Social Policy, and Social Research Methods. Between 2011 and 2014, I held a Marie Curie Fellowship at the University of Leeds, which culminated in my first monograph, Disability and Shopping: Customers, markets and the State (Routledge, 2019). I am also a co-author of Primary and Pre-primary Education in Lithuania: State and Possibilities (with J. Ruškus et. al., 2012) and the forthcoming Disability, Accessibility, and Mobility Justice: A Musltinational Analysis of Rights to Inclusive Pedestrian Journeys (with A. Lawson et.al., 2026). Before entering academia, I worked as a social worker and a policy analyst for the Academic Network of European Disability Experts (ANED). My research and publications focus broadly on disability and diverse forms of social inequality.

Responsibilities

• Social and Public Policy Programme lead
• ECR Network lead

Research interests

My research sits at the intersection of disability studies and social policy, with a focus on accessibility, consumer participation, and the built environment. I explore how policies are developed, implemented and experienced, with particular attention to their translation into practice in contexts of inequality and exclusion.

Since my first research role in 2008, I have led and contributed to projects spanning social inequalities, service development, behaviour change, labour market participation, decision-making, and social justice. I have developed expertise in a wide range of social research methods, including interviews (e.g., walking interviews, elite interviews, etc.), focus groups, Delphi groups, crytical systematic reviews, and visrtual reality (VR) research. My work has taken me across Europe, South Asia, Africa, and the United States, collaborating with stakeholders from diverse sectors including academia, NGOs, and industry.

The most recent project I led, Inclsuive and Accessible Research: Making Research Possible for Disabled Participants (UKRI Enhancing Research Culture fund), explored researchers’ understanding of and experience with accessible social research, as well as the support required to ensure that academic research is as inclusive and accessible as possible.

Qualifications

• PhD Social Policy
• MA Social Work
• BSc Social Work

Professional memberships

• Social Policy Association
• Social Research Association
• Centre for Disability Studies
• Social Research Methods Centre

Student education

I lead and teach on several modules across the School at undergraduate and postgraduate levels including Key Debates in Social Policy; Inequalities: Exploring Causes, Consequences and Interventions; Disability Studies: An Introduction; Building Enablig Futures; and Human Rights Approach to Disability.