Our research

We value interdisciplinary collaboration, opportunities for which are well-developed, thanks to the long-standing connections we have with colleagues in other disciplines as part of the cross-University Centre for Disability Studies.

The hub has long-standing collaborations with external academic, civil society and governmental partners both in the UK and beyond. We attach particular importance to working with disabled people’s organisations and translating their concerns into legal research and legal action.

Areas in which we have particular expertise include:

Standards

• Global and regional disability legal standards and mechanisms
• The European Convention on Human Rights
• The European Social Charter
• EU disability law and policy
• Disability law in the UK.

Areas of law

• Austerity and disability
• Access to justice
• Contract and tort law and disability
• Criminal justice
• Disability theory and the law
• Discrimination, reasonable accommodation and accessibility
• Health and social care
• Inclusive education
• Legal capacity 
• Living independently and being included in the community , as well as de-institutionalisation processes
• Property and copyright law and disability
• Work and employment.

Activities

• Research
• Capacity-building for disabled people and their organisations
• Legal strategies for dismantling disabling barriers
• Monitoring human rights implementation.

We have expertise which is relevant to disabled people generally, and also to particular groups of disabled people and others including: 

• Disabled children
• Older disabled people
• People who have (labels of) psychosocial disability, mental health issues, including dementia
• People who have (labels of) intellectual/learning disabilities
• People who have (labels of) physical or sensory impairments
• Disabled carers, and non-disabled carers of disabled people.