Dr Maria Orchard
- Position: Lecturer in Law
- Areas of expertise: disability law and policy; human rights law; access to justice; accessibility; inclusion
- Email: M.Orchard@leeds.ac.uk
- Phone: +44(0)113 343 6873
- Location: G.22 Liberty Building
- Website: Inclusive Public Space Project | ORCID
Profile
I joined the School of Law as a Research Fellow in January 2019. Between 2019 and 2025, I worked on the ERC-funded Inclusive Public Space Project, which explored the problems caused by unequal access to city streets, particularly for disabled pedestrians. In January 2025, I was appointed Lecturer in Law. My current research builds on my work with the IPS Project, exploring the lived experiences of disabled women in public spaces, examining the intersectionality of gender and disability in the context of urban environments.
Research interests
Disability law and policy; feminist disability studies; issues surrounding accessibility, inclusion and access to justice; socio-legal methodology; group activism and advocacy; international human rights law.
Qualifications
- PhD Law
- LLM International Human Rights Law and Labour Rights
- JD International and Comparative Law
- BA Political Science and Foreign Languages
Professional memberships
- State Bar of New Mexico
- Socio-Legal Studies Association
Student education
I currently teach on the following modules:
- Tort Law
- Disability Law
- Human Rights and Disabled People 1
- Comparative Human Rights Law
- Inequalities Law and Justice
- Introduction to Law
I am the Module Leader for Human Rights and Disabled People 1.
Research groups and institutes
- Centre for Disability Studies
- Centre for Law and Social Justice
- Disability Law Hub