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School pupils with additional support needs to present research findings at conference

View of the TIC and Inovo buildings on the Strathclyde campus

School pupils with additional support needs will present the findings of their research into health and digital technologies at a conference at the University of Strathclyde next month.

The pupils were recruited as researchers to investigate how people with intellectual disabilities can use technology to monitor their health and wellbeing – and overcome health inequalities they face.

The conference, on 12 June in Strathclyde’s Technology and Innovation Centre, will consider how health education can be made meaningful and credible for diverse communities and how barriers to making informed health decisions might be overcome. 

More inclusive

Dr Jane Essex, Reader in the Strathclyde Institute of Education and the conference organiser, said: “People with intellectual disabilities often face significant barriers to health care – from poor communication and inaccessible information to misdiagnosis and a lack of support to make informed choices. These inequalities demand better training for health professionals and more inclusive, person-centred care.

As part of this conference exploring potential solutions to overcoming these barriers, it was important that we involved young people with intellectual disabilities to give them a voice.

The pupils from Abercorn Secondary School in Glasgow and Queen Margaret’s Academy in Ayr attended workshops at the University over the spring and will run these at the event alongside staff from the University’s StrathLab, as well as presenting posters or other resources that they have prepared showing their research results.

Speakers at the event include:

  • Lucy McMillan, University of Strathclyde on supporting people with learning difficulties to understand their dental care.
  • Lauren Fulton, Scottish Learning Disability Observatory, on the provision of accessible health screening with a focus on screening for bowel cancer.
  • Leanne McNeill, University of Strathclyde, on health education for people with autism.
  • Dr Claire Roden, Penn State University, on sex education for people with learning difficulties.
  • Dr Anne-Marie Martin, University College of Cork, on teaching people with intellectual disabilities about healthy diets.

Anyone interested in attending the conference, funded by the UKRI Economic and Social Research Council’s Impact Acceleration Account can register online.