Gosia Kwiatkowska
Gosia is the Director of Rix Inclusive Research. She manages the centre and its portfolio of research projects and software implementation programmes. She leads on our national and international research projects in education, health and care settings. She is an Associate Professor and researcher at the University of East London where she teaches across Social Work, SEN education, Psychology and Media disciplines. Her research focuses on the use of technology to promote inclusion, participation and human rights for disadvantaged people.
Kanchan Kerai
Kanchan is our Senior Reseach Coordinator. She is also responsible for all the administrative functions of the Rix office and provides coordination, account management and user support for our research and software implementation services. Kanchan joined the team in 2015 and brought with her over 19 years of administrative experience in office management, including 10 years with NHS community services. She has a degree in Business Marketing.
Ajay Choksi
Ajay is a self-advocate and a peer trainer and supporter. Ajay has been working with people with learning disabilities and professionals from education, health and social care settings since 2007. He has taken part in many national and international projects, presented at national and international conferences and taught various professionals how to use Rix Wikis and other technologies. To find out more about Ajay please visit his wiki, Ajay-advice-3.
Craig Wilkie
As a research fellow and technical director at Rix, Craig draws on his extensive experience as a primary teacher and learning technologies advisory teacher in Tameside and Nottinghamshire. He specialises in the implementation of learning technologies for vulnerable groups. Craig is responsible for developing new inclusive research proposals and delivering research projects in partnership with other team members. Craig has Prince2 Foundation & Practitioner qualifications and many years’ experience of delivering IT-related projects for UK companies and public and voluntary organisations.
Craig has co-authored: Power-Up Literacy, 2018 and Digital Literacies in Education, 2021
Kate Allen
Kate is an artist, researcher, and founder member of purpleSTARS. www.purpleSTARS.org.uk purpleSTARS are a group with and without learning disabilities who aim to make museums and heritage sites more inclusive and fun using sensory materials, art and technology. Purple was chosen for the name as it is the colour associated with disability, STARS stands for Sensory Technology Art Resource/Research Specialists. Kate led the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) project ‘Interactive multi-sensory objects developed for and by people with learning disabilities’ www.sensoryobjects.com and until recently was an Associate Professor in Art at the University of Reading.
Nicola Grove
Nicola is a Professor for Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities, and has a background in English teaching, speech and language therapy and university lecturing. She founded the charity Openstorytellers, and the Storysharing® approach. She has published widely on augmentative and alternative communication, literature and storytelling for people with learning disabilities, and has worked internationally with storytellers, educators and therapists.
Paul Watts
Reader
Paul is a Reader in Media at Rix Inclusive Research and Senior Lecturer in Public Health at the University of East London, where he leads research on health and wellbeing outcomes using participatory and inclusive methods. His work focuses on the impact and experiences of health interventions, particularly for people with learning disabilities. Paul has experience with several projects that evaluate the physical and mental health benefits of various interventions, emphasising participatory research methods to engage underrepresented groups actively. His contributions extend across national evaluations and health behaviour studies.
Janet Hoskin
Associate Professor
Janet is an Associate Professor in Media at Rix Inclusive Research and in Education at the School of Education and Communities at UEL, where she leads modules on Special Education and Disability. Janet’s work focuses on the experiences of disabled children and young people and their families, and she uses participatory and inclusive methods to ensure that her research reflects the experiences and priorities of participants. In 2001 Janet co-founded the charity Action Duchenne and has worked on many projects with young people with the rare genetic condition Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and their families. Janet is the parent of a disabled young adult who lives with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
Nic Hollinworth
Senior Research Fellow
Nic is a Senior Research Fellow who has worked with people with learning disabilities on several projects, including Sensory Objects as a post doc researcher. He played a major role in the co-design and implementation of many of the interactive objects that were developed during the three year project and also worked on many of the follow-up projects as a designer and maker. His background is in Mathematics and Computer Science, and he is also a skilled woodworker and metalworker who brings ideas from concept to realisation.
Dr Warren Kidd
Senior Lecturer
Warren is a Senior Lecturer at UEL, and Honorary Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Patras, Greece. Warren’s background is in the teaching of sociology, psychology and geography. Warren has been an education action researcher, an experienced author for over twenty years, and he is a teacher educator. He has an interest in technology enhanced learning, inclusion and neurodiversity in the teacher workforce, podcasting for educational gain, the use of emergent technologies for educational research practices, teacher identity and practices, museum education and critical and creative education. He is the co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal Patterns of Practice: An International Journal of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Miriam Mukasa
Senior Lecturer
Miriam is a senior lecturer in Digital Technology and Global Development, and she teaches across programmes in the school of Childhood and Social care. Her research interests include digital innovation for sustainable development, gender and technology, digital inequality and social justice and is underpinned by a socio-technical approach. Her recent research deconstructs concepts of transformation and student experiences of digital access for academic engagement to encourage broader understanding of the interrelationship between digital access and inequality in higher education. Miriam has a background in Analysis, Design and Management of Information Systems and is a strong advocate of digital accessibility.
Richard Lohan
Rix Contractor
Richard is the communications lead at Rix. Richard develops instructional resources for Rix software users, supporters and professionals, and manages the Rix website. Richard’s background is in languages and music and he spent many years running music workshops for disadvantaged groups in various health and social care settings. He also works as an accessible information specialist and trainer in a community learning disability team and helped set up Camden’s Easier Info service.
Samantha Goncalves
Rix Contractor
Sam co-develops resources, advises, presents and trains for Rix Research & Media. Sam is a parent carer of a young adult with complex needs. She has been using technology and a multi-media advocacy approach to support her son’s education, health and care planning for the past seven years. Samantha is a Person Centred Planning trainer and has held a range of voluntary posts with organisations supporting people with learning disabilities. She is currently the Citizen Lead for the Professional Records Standard Board.
Baljit Kaur
Co-researcher
Baljit Kaur is a co-researcher. Baljit joined Rix during the covid pandemic and has been studying how technology has helped people stay connected with others during this time. She is passionate about helping and supporting others, particularly those who speak different languages. They are interested in finding ways that technology can assist people from diverse backgrounds.
Roselyn Weinberg (Ros)
Co-researcher
Ros is a co-researcher and trainer. She began working with Rix on various projects in 2006. Roselyn has been involved in numerous training and research initiatives. She is a strong advocate who actively represents the rights of individuals with learning disabilities in different committees and boards. Ros is passionate about promoting inclusion and creating easy to read and easy to understand information.
Satvinder Kaur Dhillon (Kiran)
Co-researcher
Kiran is a highly skilled co-researcher with a passion for graphic design, and she has made significant contributions to projects, including the Digital Champion Network. Her expertise in designing visually appealing and accessible websites has played a vital role in creating inclusive experiences for individuals with disabilities. Her commitment to promoting accessibility and inclusion showcases the powerful impact design can have on enhancing digital experiences and reducing inequality.