Amy Redhead
- Position: Lecturer
- Areas of expertise: disability studies; disability representation; cultural & literary disability studies; participatory research; documentary; media
- Email: A.Redhead@leeds.ac.uk
- Location: Social Sciences Building
Profile
I came to the University of Leeds in 2019 on a 3+1 ESRC Scholarship. After completing my MA in Social Research Methods I completed my PhD entitled: Representing Down's Syndrome in Documentary: Exploring independence, relationships and prenatal screening in the documentary genre. My thesis considered the role and significance of documentaries in cultural narratives surrounding Down's syndrome and the impact they may have on the personhood of individuals with Down's syndrome. While there has been a significant shift in the visibility of people with Down’s syndrome in mainstream media, misrepresentation remains an issue. Together with co-researchers with Down’s syndrome, our analysis revealed that representations based on normative, ableist ideologies construct distorted, often stereotypical images of what a life with Down’s syndrome might be like. Using arts-based methods and a participatory research approach provided a space for co-researchers to consider and discuss in(ter)dependence, relationships and prenatal screening and how these themes were represented in documentaries. The collaborative aspect of the thesis demonstrated with unequivocal certainty that people with Down’s syndrome can and should be included in cultural conversations no matter their complexity. Consideration of the lived experience of people with Down’s syndrome is imperative in shifting attitudes concerning Down’s syndrome towards an affirmative understanding of the condition that reflects their valued lives, moving away from stereotypes anchored in dependency and deficit. In turn, such a shift, enacted by people living with Down’s syndrome, might make prenatal screening less routine and reactions to it more considered. My thesis illustrates how this can be done in practice, providing a participatory approach is taken, and complex, sensitive issues are handled with the utmost care. My research engages with several interconnected, complex theories, including vulnerability, biopolitics, normalcy, ableism and cultural disability representation, adding to existing bodies of knowledge surrounding these concepts and, in particular, how they relate to people with Down’s syndrome and people with learning disabilities more broadly.
Responsibilities
- Lecturer in Sociology & Social Policy
Research groups and institutes
- Centre for Disability Studies