This week I presented my research at the Disability Studies Conference at the University of Leeds, organised by the Centre for Disability Studies. It was fantastic to be back in the same space as 300-ish other disability studies researchers, all sharing a really diverse range of research – from the past and future of the disability rights movement to co-produced research with disabled people, and from critical approaches to ADHD to autistic people’s valuable inner worlds. And that was just the beginning!

ADHD and Spiritual Wandering

I took part in a groundbreaking range of panels called ADHDers Think Back, which involved a group of us (all ADHDers) sharing critical research and thinking on ADHD. We were taking a social rather than a medical approach to ADHD, which is more revolutionary in academic research than you might think. I presented some work I’m developing on ADHD and spirituality, for which I’m drawing on lived experience and theory/theology. There were so many other fantastic presentations, on all kinds of social aspects of the ADHD experience. The next step is that we’ll be submitting our work as articles for a special issue of a disability studies journal – watch this space for the final journal issue. (It may take a bit of time to put together, because this will be the first special issue ever on critical ADHD studies, but it’s on the way and I’ll share it here when it’s out!)

My presentation was called ‘ADHD and Spiritual Wandering: Walking Labyrinths, Re-membering Embodied Christian Practice’. The slides are here:

Naomi Jacobs ADHD and Spiritual WanderingDownload

Activist Research with Disabled Christians

I also presented on my activist research with disabled Christians, and how it led to a book that was intended to be a resource for activists (and their churches). The presentation was called ‘Weaving Together So Many Unheard Stories: Activist Research to Resource a Disabled Christian Movement’. The slides are here:

Naomi Jacobs Weaving Together_Activist ResearchDownload

Inclusive Public Space Project

Last but not least, I helped present a poster (designed by my colleague Sofia Raseta) on the Inclusive Public Space project, which I work on. It’s a fantastic project looking at disabled people’s access to public space and streets in five countries. Find out more at the project website here.

I shared thoughts from other researchers’ fantastic presentations on Twitter and Bluesky – and there’s much more on the #CDS24 hashtag there. Enjoy!