Speaker Bios AC 2025

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Adam Hyland

Chief Inclusion Officer, Evenbreak

Adam Hyland (He/Him) is a pioneering advocate in the field of disability inclusion, serving as the Chief Inclusion Officer for Evenbreak. With a wealth of experience and expertise in disability inclusion consultancy and training, Adam is highly regarded on both national and international stages. His dedication to this field was notably recognised in 2023 when he was listed on The Shaw Trust’s Disability Power 100.

Previous to Adam’s role at Evenbreak, he has been at the forefront of driving impactful change in various leadership roles, with the common mission to create a more inclusive society. In these roles he has overseen comprehensive training programs, consultancy services, and research initiatives, forging strong partnerships with a wide array of organisations spanning local, national, and international levels. Adam has been responsible for the partnerships and delivery of services to multi-national corporations, transport authorities, and government departments across the globe.

Adam has provided critical evidence to a UK Government Commission investigating barriers to employment for disabled individuals. His expertise is further validated by his certifications as an instructor for Mental Health First Aid England and i-ACT Mental Health courses. Additionally, Adam has been a member of the advisory board of the Global Disability Innovation Hub, where he helped promote innovative solutions for disabled people on a global scale.

Adam’s dedication to disability inclusion has been recognised through numerous accolades. He received the RIDI (Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative) Awards for Disability Specialist and Overall Impact in 2020, highlighting his impactful work in inclusive recruitment practices. The D&A AXS passport that Adam pioneered also won the Tech4Good Award for Inclusive Workplaces and the Tech4Good Winner of Winners Award.

Adam identifies as a disabled person when he encounters barriers in society and is passionate that lived experience has to be the driving force behind creating a more accessible and inclusive society

In his role at Evenbreak, Adam continues to champion the cause of disability inclusion, working tirelessly to ensure that employment opportunities are accessible to all. His work continues to break down barriers, ensuring that disabled individuals can thrive in various professional settings. Adam’s unwavering dedication to inclusivity and accessibility makes him a vital figure in the ongoing effort to create a more equitable society.

Airasa Maughan Strickler

Disability Advisor, University of Leeds

Airasa was a primary school teacher for 20 years, mainly teaching in early years. After deciding to leave teaching, she initially was a PA for disabled students at the University of Leeds, providing sighted guide and library support for visually impaired students. During the pandemic, Airasa supported the disability advisory team, eventually securing the role of disability advisor in 2021. Disability advisors make recommendations for exam arrangements and teaching and learning adjustments for students across the university. They also run daily drop in sessions to support disabled students access support.

Alice Speller

CEO, NADP

Alice became the CEO in March 2024 following her role as Executive Director from January 2023 and having previously served as an elected Director for four years.

Alice represents NADP across the sector including the OIA Disability Experts Panel, the LINK network and on the Disabled Students Commitment Sector Groups.

Before joining the NADP staff team, Alice was the Operations Manager at Bournemouth University where she managed the disability service and in house NMH provision. Prior to that, she was the Head of Student Support at Goldsmiths University, overseeing the Disability, Wellbeing, Chaplaincy and Counselling Service. Alice also has extensive experience across the sector working for providers and in the delivery of study skills and assistive technology training.

Annie Beckett

Disability Support Services Manager, University of Brighton

I co-manage the Disability and Learning Support Team at the University of Brighton with Megan Downham. I am a Director and Senior Accredited Member of NADP, having worked in HE student support for 20 years withing a few different roles. I really enjoy managing a team of disability experts within our service and using the expertise of colleagues across the wider university and sector, to ensure that students have appropriate and timely access to support to enable them to reach their academic potential. I have a natural curiosity (nosiness?) into different approaches and experiences of student life, which means that I’m keen to innovate our service and practice in response to sector trends and good practice.

Claire Toogood

Research and Strategic Projects Manager, AGCAS

Claire joined AGCAS in 2023 having previously worked as a Lecturer and Researcher at Harper Adams University. Claire has also worked as a Careers Advisor, Researcher Developer, and Planning and Projects Officer in higher education. Claire is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE and holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Supporting Learning in HE, a Level 6 Diploma in Careers Guidance and Development and a MA in Human Resource Management. Claire is also a current Visiting Lecturer at Birmingham Newman University and a Peer Reviewer for the Vitae HR Excellence in Research award.

Whilst at AGCAS Claire has written two reports in the What Happens Next series – the most recent one looking the outcomes of disabled graduates from 2021/22, and the previous report that focused on graduates from both 2019/20 and 2020/21 and considered how disabled graduates’ outcomes had been affected by the pandemic. Claire was also part of the team delivering the Enhancing Neurodivergent Graduates’ Access to Graduate Employment (ENGAGE) project with the University of Southampton and Lancaster University. Claire is currently completing a further project called “Careers in chemical sciences – capturing the career journeys of neurodivergent students” which has been funded by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Dan Lovesey

Disability and Inclusion Advisor, University of Law

I am a Disability and Inclusion Advisor at the University of Law, joining in October 2023. Prior to this I have worked in a range of specialist colleges, general FE and HE, with over 18 years of experience working in education, except for two years working in disability and access in football stadia and concerts.

Outside of my role in Disability and Inclusion, I am an autistic and ADD researcher and writer completing a PhD with a focus on the experiences of autistic graduates going into the creative industries and working on my first book around neurodivergence and the creative industries.

I am particularly interested in person-centred approaches to support that empower and allow the student to collaborate and lead in the support process, ensuring that the lived experience and student voice are central.

Danny Clegg

Associate Dean (Academic Development) at BPP

Danny Clegg is an Autistic-ADHD, Dyslexic, Associate Dean (Academic Development) and Associate Professor of Digital Pedagogy & Inclusive Practice at BPP, actively championing Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). He co-chairs NHS England’s Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) forums, is a National Association of Disabled Practitioners (NADP) member, and co-founded Autistic Scholars International (ASI) in 2023.

A specialist in inclusive research methodologies, Danny has pioneered focus group protocols ensuring accessibility for deaf and blind participants and developed risk and distress policies that serve as national templates. His projects centre on minoritised voices, training individuals in research design, facilitation, and analysis. He integrates AI-driven qualitative analysis, supplementing it with manual tagging methods.

Danny’s decolonisation and EDI research has shaped national training programmes. His AI-integrated assessment design was recognised by QAA as the only model balancing sustainability and integrity. He leads London Higher Education Group (LHEG) projects, including a virtual world for graduate transitions, now of national NHS interest. His Neurodiversity framework, developed for NHS England, was adopted in 2024.

His Diverse Dermatology resource, commissioned for the Welsh Anti-Racist Virtual World, earned national acclaim. From 2019-2025, he chaired LSBU’s Disability Network (DNet), advocating for disabled students and staff equity.

David Bass

Director of EDI, Advance HE

He brings a wealth of experience working with universities and the tertiary sector, in equality and diversity, governance, access, as well as strategic planning and management. David has been central to ensuring EDI is strongly embedded in Advance HE’s new strategy and in the development of our CEO’s Race Action Group.

Prior to his current role, David was an Assistant Director in our Membership directorate, responsible for the strategic approach, engagement and development of our work in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland. In addition to developing and contextualising our approach to membership, he helped lead strategic, cross-sector race equality projects in Scotland and Wales, working with sector leaders such as Khadija Mohammed to support institutional commitment and action on anti-racism.

David joined the Equality Challenge Unit in 2013, initially as a Senior Policy Adviser before moving into the role of Scotland Programme Manager. He managed the ‘Diversity in Governance’ project in Scotland, supporting the sector to improve the gender diversity of governing bodies and enhance effective oversight of equality and diversity in colleges and HEIs, from 2015-2018.

David previously worked in adult education and for a charity supporting disabled people and carers in education. He holds an MA in Geography from the University of Edinburgh and an MSc in Public Policy and Management from Birkbeck, University of London.

David Thomson

DSA Transformation Programme Lead, Student Loans Company

With an extensive background in information technology and operational management, David has taken on a number of senior leadership roles at SLC across his 23 years with the company. This includes a period as Head of Operations, leading the teams that deliver services to students across the UK. In his current role as Head of Operational Readiness he takes the lead on a range of strategic initiatives on behalf of our operational teams, including being the project SRO for our DSA Transformation Programme.

Dawn Procter

Head of Disability and Inclusive Practice, Lancaster University

Dawn Procter SFHEA Head of Disability and Inclusive Practice at Lancaster University where she leads a team of Advisers and Coordinators to ensure a quality and equitable experience for disabled students.

Dawn has 40 plus years of service within the disability sector with a range of experience from residential day care, teaching in long stay mental health hospitals, further education and higher education prior to making the transition to disability support services. From being part of the team at Blackburn College 35 years ago who closed down discrete provision and facilitated disabled students accessing mainstream where differentiated learning was at the core of the model , to this present day Dawn’s drive for inclusive practice is still as evident.

Dr Dionysios Kyropoulos

Co-Chair and Director, Professional Association of SpLD Specialists in Higher Education (PASSHE)

Dionysios is Co-Chair and Director of the Professional Association of SpLD Specialists in Higher Education (PASSHE), and works as an ADHD coach and trainer and specialist study skills and strategy support tutor (SpLD and ASC). His journey began in the arts as an opera singer, stage director and researcher, with graduate studies at Cambridge and Oxford and a research fellowship at Harvard, before his own ADHD diagnosis catalysed a career transition into neurodiversity and inclusive education. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and maintains his academic role as Professor of Academic Studies at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. He also serves as a primary school SEND Governor. He holds the Guildhall Certificate in Coaching & Mentoring, accredited by the European Mentoring & Coaching Council (EMCC), has completed the PASSHE Level 5 Course in Teaching Students with Specific Learning Differences in Further and Higher Education, and has gained the Level 3 Award in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) from the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH).

Harriet Cannon

Disability Team Manager, University of Leeds, and Director, NADP

Harriet has over 20 years’ experience working in the field of disability within Higher Education. She has worked in Disability Services at the University of Leeds since 2007, first as a Disability Coordinator, and now as the Disability Team Manager, having previously led on disability support for the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education. Harriet specialises in autism, holding a PGCert in Autism from the University of Birmingham and having worked with autistic students since 2005. She regularly provides training on autism and neurodivergence in HE. She manages a team of 13 Disability Practitioners responsible for 8000 disabled students.

Harriet has a particular interest in inclusive pedagogies and assessment, and the interaction of competence standards and reasonable adjustments, and leads on projects relating to these at the University of Leeds. She has also led work on reviewing standards of evidence required by disabled students, believing that access to evidence of disability should not create an additional barrier to support. She is a Senior Accredited Member of the National Association of Disability Practitioners, sits on the Office of the Independent Adjudicator’s Disability Experts Panel and the Department for Education’s HE Autism Advisory Group, and she founded the Association of Autism Practitioners in HE.

Dr Helen Duncan

Senior Neurodiversity Adviser, University of Cambridge

Dr Helen Duncan has worked for the Accessiblity & Disability Resource Centre (ADRC) at the University of Cambridge since 2008. She is currently the Senior Neurodiversity adviser at the ADRC and supports students with specific learning difficulties, including dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD. She is a qualified teacher and SpLD diagnostic assessor with a postgraduate diploma in diagnosing and teaching students with SpLD and an MSc in Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Her PhD is in the impact of specific learning difficulties on assessment in University. Helen is an associate member of the British Dyslexia Association, a member of PAToSS (the professional association of teachers of students with specific learning difficulties), a senior accredited member of NADP (National Association of Disability Practitioners), and a director of SASC (the SpLD Assessment Standards Committee).

Helen Young

Deputy Head of the Disability Advisory Service (DAS), University of Oxford and Director, NADP

I have over 20 years’ experience in disability support across Higher Education and the voluntary sector. Since 2016, I have been Deputy Head of the Disability Advisory Service (DAS) at the University of Oxford, including two years as Acting Head. I oversee operational management of the service and strategically inform policy and practice to support disabled student inclusion. As the University’s sensory support lead, I provide specialist advice on student casework and train staff on supporting deaf and hard of hearing students, as well as those with visual and dual sensory conditions. Prior to DSA changes in 2024, I was Head of the Oxford University Assessment Centre for over 10 years, gaining extensive knowledge of DSA processes. I continue to oversee the delivery and quality assurance of all Study Needs Assessments for Non-DSA funded students, as well as those funded by SAAS and Research Councils, at the University of Oxford. Before this, I spent nine years in the voluntary sector, managing sensory support services, including at Sense and a Midlands-based charity, where I remain a trustee.

I have served on the CHESS Executive Planning Group since 2012 and as a Director of the National Association of Disability Practitioners (NADP) since 2018. My qualifications include a Postgraduate Diploma in Deafblind Studies, Level 2 BSL (Signature), I am also a fluent deafblind manual signer. I am also currently undertaking a part-time Doctorate in Education, focussing on inclusive assessment practices in Higher Education.

Jennifer Anderton

Head of Disability Support and Inclusion, York St John University

Jenny Anderton is the Head of Disability Support and Inclusion at York St John University. She is an Occupational Therapist who has worked in higher education for 18 years, starting as a DSA Needs Assessor, progressing to managing a DSA assessment centre and now managing the Disability and Inclusion team.

In her current role, Jenny has championed a shift towards a social model of disability, advocating for self-declaration over medical evidence to reduce barriers to support. Her recent initiative involves developing a live system for sharing reasonable adjustments across university teams, enhancing communication and support for students.

Beyond her university role, Jenny serves as a trustee for Accessible Arts and Media, contributing her expertise to promote inclusion in the arts.

Dr John Harding

Head of the Disability Resource Centre (DRC), University of Cambridge, and Company Secretary, NADP

John Harding has been Head of the Accessibility & Disability Resource Centre (ADRC) at the University of Cambridge since 2008. The ADRC is Cambridge’s service for disabled students and those staff working with disabled students. John is also a member of the University’s Disabled Staff Network, and Secretary of the University’s Accessibility Committee and a trustee of two small charities who make grants to disabled students. John is a Senior Accredited Member and Company Secretary of the UK’s National Association of Disability Practitioners (NADP) as well as an Adviser to the Board and Reviewing Panel Chair on the NADP accreditation scheme .

John has worked as a practitioner and managed teams of specialists in the field of disability support and inclusive practice in both further and higher education for over twenty years. During that time, he has worked on the development more inclusive and supportive policies in relation to disabled students, including the promotion of Universal Design for Learning and inclusive pedagogical design and practices. John holds a PGCE in adult literacy, a masters in international development, the postgraduate diploma in teaching and assessing specific learning difficulties and has recently completed a doctorate in education at the University of Cambridge.

Katie Jeffrey-Blow

Disability Coordinator, University of Leeds

Katie has worked in HE for over 10 years, starting in Students’ Union, before moving into student wellbeing in academic schools. Katie moved to her current role in 2019.

At the University of Leeds, Katie currently provides support and expertise to colleagues and students based in the faculty of Biological Sciences and schools of History and Politics and International Studies. Katie’s specialist area is supporting students with mental health conditions.  

Kelly Goodfellow

Senior Neurodiversity Practitioner, University of West of England

With over two decades of experience in Neurodiversity and Education, I am a seasoned consultant, assessor, tutor, and team leader. My qualifications include a robust background as a Specialist Teacher and Assessor for Specific Learning Differences (SpLD) and a Teaching Fellow at the Higher Education Academy. I hold an MSc in Professional Development from the University of the West of England, Bristol, and qualifications in Leadership and Management.

As a Neurodiversity Consultant in Further and Higher Education, I deliver bespoke training and guidance to both academic and professional staff, and share knowledge and insights at international and regional conferences.

I pioneered a tailored psychoeducational ADHD coaching program for Higher Education students, delivering transformative strategy and behaviour change. This can be explored in my published work in the Journal of Inclusive Practice in Further and Higher Education, May 2024. I have also contributed to the Takeda/UKAAN report ‘Supporting students living with ADHD at university: Working better together’. This report reflects and acknowledges current barriers and poses practical solutions for those working in Universities and the NHS, supporting those with, or suspected ADHD.

My role at the University of West of England, Bristol, includes leading a team of neurodiversity practitioners, conducting diagnostic assessments, delivering 1-1 and group tutoring and coaching to neurodivergent students.

Khasiba Omar

Disability and Inclusion Advisor, University of Law

I have worked in higher education for seven years, with a particular focus over the past three years on supporting disabled students. I currently work as a Disability and Inclusion Adviser, collaborating with academic and professional services staff to implement inclusive practices, advise on reasonable adjustments, and ensure equitable access to learning.

My lived experience of dyslexia informs my empathetic, student-centred approach, enabling me to understand and challenge the barriers disabled students may face. I chair the NEON Access And Outreach For Disabled Learners and contribute to national conversations around inclusive policy and practice.

I have published Eight Steps to Academic Success, presented at the University of Law’s conference, and will be delivering a session at the AMOSSHE National Conference in July 2025. I am also undertaking a master’s in education (special needs) at Birmingham City University, which is enhancing my understanding of inclusive pedagogy, educational policy, and systemic change. I have recently been appointed as an abstract reviewer for the BERA Conference, supporting research with relevance to policy and practice. I am currently leading the accessibility statement for the ULAW Business School.

My academic and professional interests include learning differences, mental health, ableism, student experience, and Assessment For Learning(AfL). I am committed to creating inclusive, supportive environments where all students can thrive.

Louise Gilzean

Senior Disability and Inclusion Advisor, Buckinghamshire New University

I am a senior disability and inclusion advisor, leading a team of advisors at Buckinghamshire New University. I studied my undergraduate degree and returned to study my first class master’s in education at BNU. I enjoyed the student experience and support at the university so much, that I wanted to contribute to it, and am proud to work at a university highly regarded for student support and satisfaction. My passion and drive lie in equal opportunities, advocacy, collaboration, and person-first enabling approaches. My study and professional journey have spanned the life course, from early years education through to high needs adult social care. I have acted as an industry trainer and apprenticeship facilitator. Having found my place in higher education I am energised by my role, student engagement, and the innovative team I work with.

Maria Richards

Head of Programmes, The Snowdon Trust

Megan Downham

Disability Support Services Manager, University of Brighton

I co-manage the Disability and Learning Support Team at the University of Brighton alongside Annie Beckett. With three years of experience at Brighton, my background spans 15 years as a Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) teacher. During this time, I have worked in a variety of schools across South London and the Middle East. For a decade, I also served as Deputy Head at a special school for children with Autism.

My extensive teaching experience has fostered a deep commitment to promoting equity for students with disabilities, ensuring they are empowered to reach their full potential. I take great pride in collaborating with our team of Learning Support Coordinators to raise awareness and educate university staff on the diverse needs of disabled students, supporting them in achieving the highest academic outcomes possible.

Dr Melanie Best

Senior Advisor in Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, University of Wolverhampton and Lead of RIDE Higher (Realising the Inclusion of Disabled Employees in Higher Education)

Mel works as a Senior Advisor in Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, with a particular focus on disability at the University of Wolverhampton. She is the Lead of RIDE Higher (Realising the Inclusion of Disabled Employees in Higher Education), which offers a mechanism for sharing good practice pertaining to the inclusion of disabled staff, across the sector. She previously worked as an academic, whilst her research with Paralympic athletes fuelled her desire to see disabled colleagues better championed and able to realise their potential.

Dr Melanie Thorley

STAART Manager, University of Greenwich

Melanie has worked within the disability sector of further and higher education since 1998. She regards herself as fortunate to have been taught by Professor Mike Oliver during her sociology undergraduate degree. Melanie also holds a MA in SEND, a MSc in Education Research Methods and a doctorate in supporting D/deaf university students. Melanie was appointed to manage the STAART (formerly *AccessAbility) initiative in 2007 providing information, advice and guidance for prospective and current disabled university students. Melanie has disseminated STAART at numerous conferences across the UK, and has also provided staff training in Egypt and Trinidad.

On a personal level, Melanie has lived with clinical depression and fibromyalgia for all of her adult life and therefore has a living experience of disability. Melanie loves Flat Eric, Dr. Martens, her husband and cats, travelling and wildlife – not necessarily in that order.

Mette Anwar-Westander

Founding Director, Disabled Students UK

Mette Anwar-Westander is the Founding Director of Disabled Students UK (DSUK), thrice recognised on the Disability Power 100 list as one of the most influential disabled-led organisations in the UK. DSUK challenges the view of disabled students as passive recipients of support, instead recognising them as experts and key drivers of change. Under Mette’s leadership, DSUK has become a trusted voice across the sector – working collaboratively with institutions, students, and policymakers to build a more accessible and equitable Higher Education landscape. Their flagship initiative, the Annual Disabled Student Survey, is now the largest of its kind in the UK and provides evidence-based insight into the barriers disabled students face – and the structural changes needed to remove them.

Through Access Insights, DSUK is supporting Disability Services to move from reactive support to proactive, strategic accessibility – always rooted in the voices of the students they serve.

Mette is autistic and lives with an energy limiting condition. They hold degrees from the University of Oxford and in Cognitive Neuroscience, and bring a deep belief in disability wisdom to everything they do.

Professor Nicola Martin

Professor of Social Justice and Inclusive Education, London South Bank University

I have held various academic and leadership roles in the sector, including leading professional services functions and research centres. I developed the successful EdD in Social Justice and Inclusive Education, MA Education /Autism and the Critical Autism and Disability Studies (CADS) Research Group at LSBU. CADS participatory, interdisciplinary research focusses on inclusive education across the age range, through Universal Design for Learning; equity in employment; mentoring; wellbeing and fulfilment. Currently I lead the Building Future Communities Research Centre which is a hub for creative participatory research /citizen engagement.

Fair employment of autistic and disabled researchers is a key principle of CADS engagement with funded research. The Participatory Autism Research Collective (PARC) originated within CADS and (although unfunded) provides networking and peer support opportunities for autistic scholars.

I am a National Teaching Fellow, RSA Fellow, Senior Fellow of the HEA and an Accredited Speaker for the CPD Standards Office, and hold, various visiting professorships and fellowships and external examiner posts. I am an advisor to The National Association of Disability Practitioners and received NADP’s 25th Anniversary Award in 2024 for services to the HE sector. I have 15 doctoral completions and currently supervise 8 students.

Nicola Turner

Adviser Engagement Partner, UCAS

In her role as Adviser Engagement Partner, Nicola supports advisers and supporters as they help students make decisions on their next steps. She has supported UCAS’ fair access work since joining the organisation in 2016. She has authored reports on student mental health, disabled students, and care-experience, and works closely with expert organisations to improve access to higher education. A former teacher, Nicola is strong believer in the transformative potential of education, and is a trustee for the National Network for the Education of Care Leavers (NNECL).

Paddy Turner

Senior Lecturer: Development & Inclusivity, Sheffield Hallam University and Director, NADP

Paddy Turner (SFHEA; SAMNADP) has worked at Sheffield Hallam University since 1998 covering all aspects of disabled student support from direct student support to management and research. He has at all times retained a passion for improving access to and inclusion within, the academic and cultural environment.

He was Head of Inclusive Practice (Disability) until 2011 and is now an Education Developer supporting academic and learning support staff towards Advance HE (HEA) Fellowship recognition and developing inclusive teaching and learning practice.

Paddy has been a Director of NADP since 2005 including serving two terms as Chair (2011-18) and is passionate about the benefits NADP has to offer members and, by extension, the students and staff they work with.

Paddy is currently chairing the NADP Accreditation Scheme Standing Committee which enables the Scheme to provide genuinely high status recognition of the highly skilled and professional work of our members.

Piers Wilkinson

Director, NADP

Piers has been involved with championing disabled people’s access and rights to education for over a decade, including representing disabled people’s voices being elected as National Disabled Students’ Officer for the National Union of Students, appointed as a Commissioner for the Disabled Students’ Commission as, and as commissioner for the House of Lords Higher Education Commission. Piers also co-led the Inclusive Education team for Diversity and Ability, a disabled-led social enterprise. Through these roles, they’ve developed a strong specialist knowledge in inclusive practice, design, and policy development.

As someone who has built disability sport teams to working with sector colleagues within Westminster, Piers enjoys reducing disparities and creating opportunities for everyone to develop and grow together. At the heart of everything Piers does is the embedding of the core disabled community ethos of “Nothing About Us, Without Us”, whether that’s supporting institutions to become more inclusive through embedding accessibility into core practice, championing new standards of good practice, or writing sector leading guidance. Through lived experience and an absurd love of policy, Piers is driven to campaign for disabled people to thrive rather than just survive.

Rian Craske

Disability Practitioner, York St John University

Rian Craske is a Disability Practitioner at York St John University. He runs the Early Start programme, which provides a series of events designed students who require a more supportive transition into university. He has worked on a variety of projects as part of the team, including creating and delivering training across multiple teams and campuses, setting up a ‘Find a Flatmate’ event for disabled students, and improving provision for transgender students accessing disability support.

Rian is also the Co-Chair of the Trans Inclusive Working Group and the LGBTQ+ Staff Steering Group at York St John and has assisted in writing the university’s new Trans and Gender Diverse policy. He has also worked as a theatre producer, writer and sensitivity reader.

Sarah Todd

Chair of the Board of Directors, NADP

Sarah became chair of NADP in 2024 after serving as Vice Chair since 2021. Throughout Sarah’s career she has promoted equality, diversity and accessibility, and supported people both directly and indirectly to achieve their true potential and to widen participation and inclusion in education.

Sarah previously served as Service Delivery Director for Brain in Hand where she was a member of the Senior Leadership Team and built relationships and partnerships at a strategic level. She managed a network of Specialists nationally to enable service users to improve their engagement and participation by better self-managing difficulties, improving confidence and increasing independence.

Incredibly process driven, she strives to gain a greater understanding of students’ support needs; evaluating the effectiveness of provision and monitoring specific outcomes through the gathering of comprehensive data and dedicated reporting. This is essential when promoting excellence in the quality and consistency of support services, and thus in supporting the goals of NADP.

Having provided support to students at more than 80% of universities nationally, she brings to the board a unique perspective of the challenges that students, disability support teams and 3^rd party supporters face in effective collaboration and communication; but also highlight examples of excellence and passionately promote best-practice in support provision, to add value to disabled students’ experience.

Sarah also has practitioner experience working with individuals across education, training and workplace settings; within Non-Medical Help as a Specialist Mentor in Further Education developing vocational learning materials; and within employment support and training as a Vocational Rehabilitation Consultant, where she gained her Certified Disability Management Professional accreditation. So, she can share from experience a variety of stakeholder outlooks and priorities

Suzanne Carrie

Head of Student Equality and Welfare, Office for Students

Suzanne is the Head of Student Equality and Welfare at the Office for Students. She leads policy teams focused on Access and Participation, disability, mental health, harassment and sexual misconduct as well as leading the teams that deliver the NSS, Discover Uni and wider student insight work. She is a member of the Disabled Student Commitment Advisory Group, the Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce and is the deputy chair of the Office for Student’s Disability in Higher Education Advisory Panel which has been supporting the OfS to consider how to address issues affecting disabled students in Higher Education in England. Before joining the Office for Students, she worked for more than 15 years in the higher education sector supporting access, participation and inclusion. She is also a governor of a large multi academy trust in Bristol and until recently was a trustee of a charity supporting young people from under-served and disadvantaged communities.

Dr Sarah Sweeney

Vice-Chair, AMOSSHE, and Head of Student Support and Wellbeing, Lancaster University

Dr Sarah Sweeney is Vice-Chair of AMOSSHE and Head of Student Support and Wellbeing at Lancaster University, where she leads the delivery of student wellbeing services and support, including safeguarding, counselling and mental health, disability, transitions and inclusive practice and student advice and engagement. Sarah has over 20 years of experience working in the HE sector and is passionate about driving forward positive change to improve equality of opportunity and support diversity and inclusion, ensuring high quality support to all communities of students and championing digital innovation to improve the student and staff experience.

Josh Wright

Candidates and Partnerships Coordinator, Evenbreak

Josh is the Candidates and Partnerships Coordinator here at Evenbreak. It’s a long title but it essentially means that the core part of his role is to run The Hive website. He uses it to help signpost candidates who contact us to organisations that can support them on their employment journey.”

Professor Deborah Johnston

Interim Co Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer, LSBU Group / Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Framework), London South Bank University (LSBU)

Professor Deborah Johnston is currently the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Framework) with overall responsibility for the portfolio, standards and success at LSBU Group. She joined LSBU in April 2020, coming from the Pro Vice-Chancellor Education role at SOAS University of London, which she held for over four years.

Deborah is a Professor of Development Economics with more than 55 journal articles and four books. She completed an undergraduate degree in Economics and an MPhil in the Economics and Politics of Development at Queens’ College Cambridge. She completed a PhD in Economics in 1997 from SOAS University of London and has split her career across academia, charities and government. Her academic work has focused on inequality and poverty, and she has supervised and examined PhD students.

She is passionate about the power of education to change people’s opportunities in life. She oversees LSBU Global and has led programmes at LSBU and SOAS to reduce awarding gaps and to decolonise the curriculum. She has national leadership for the Disabled Students Commitment. Deborah has a board position on a national stammering charity and in 2024 was awarded an MBE for stammering recognition in higher education.

Deborah has led work to improve sustainability and teaching quality at SOAS and LSBU Group. She introduced a new undergraduate curriculum framework at LSBU in 2022, designed to improve financial sustainability, retention and graduate outcomes. She introduced annual portfolio reviews to allow schools to consider their provision. Deborah has supported the development of new qualifications in London South Bank Technical College and oversees apprenticeships in both LSBTC and LSBU.