Promoting positive research cultures

Project Managers and Professional Services embrace a Social Justice driven approach to project management

We know that curating positive research cultures relies on the values, input, workload and commitment of professional services and academic colleagues. Our team has worked with a number of colleagues in and outside of WAARC to share good practice through a host of non-academic, knowledge exchange and public engagement activities. Project Managers and Professional Services embrace a Social Justice driven approach to project management.

• Releasing researchers from anxiety, burden and work associated with administration so that they can do their research
• Anticipating supporting diverse needs
• Putting in bespoke support
• Supporting accommodations for disability and neurodivergence
• Checking on the support and making sure there is clarity and understanding
• Dealing sensitively with colleagues’ anxieties, questions and concerns 
• Adopt leadership in relation to managing complex university bureaucracy
• Helping academic colleagues to manage teams in ethical, socially just and pragmatic ways 

Presentations and publications by or involving our Project Managers and Professional Services colleagues 

• Elinor Noble's Blog reflections on event accessibility at the Association for Project Management (APM) Conference - 29th and 30th April 2026
• Elinor Noble - Blog Reflections on event accessibility in practice at the Leeds Disabilities Studies Conference in April 2026. 
• Elinor Noble (WAARC Project Coordinator) & Rhea Halsey (Disability Matters Project Manager) - presentation on 'Making project delivery more accessible and inclusive' - 13th May 2026 at the University for the Staff Network Day representing the Sheffield Project Managers Network 
• Dr Armineh Soorenian and Liz Dew (WAARC Project Coordinator) presented on 'Reimagining Research Culture, Together' - NCRC Conversation series - 23rd April 2026
• Liz Dew and Armineh Soorenian were invited by the University of Leeds to present a keynote address - Reimagining Research Culture, Together - at the Research Culture Community of Practice Event 2025 (Leeds, 14th July 2025). In this paper the significant contributions of professional services colleagues to the promotion of positive research culture is highlighted and these contributions are taken further in this paper by Liz in collaboration with colleagues Rhea Halsey and Lucy Dunning in their popular recent paper presented as part of of the Disability Matters Online Symposia Series

• The Inclusion Leadership Research Interest Group of BELMAS hosted an event on Thursday 19th June 2025, entitled ‘The Depathologising University’. The RIG’s Co-Convenors, Dr Beth Holmes, Dr Wendy Conrad and Dr Donnie Adams, were joined by guest speaker, Professor Dan Goodley, Professor of Disability Studies and Education in the University of Sheffield’s School of Education, who discussed his work in the field of Critical Disability Studies, and the ways in which academics, researchers and research professional colleagues are depathologising the disablist and ableist university. You can find a recording of Dan's talk here

• Dan Goodley and Rebecca Lawthom have reflected on the challenges of curating more inclusive university cultures in their recent blogpost for the White Rose Consortium Disrupting the Default: Anti-Ableist Research Culture. In this piece they consider the aspirations of the WAARC team: to fundamentally reimagine and re-create an academic environment that actively values disability as a source of creativity, critical insight and collective strength.

• Lauren White has shared some of her own reflections on promoting more inclusive research practices in Forged in Sheffield podcast series.   

• Élaina Gauthier-Mamaril hosts and produces the Cripping Research Culture podcast with a range of guests offering their perspectives on the question: "How can we make better working conditions for disabled staff in higher education?"  

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Elinor Noble - Blog reflections on event accessibility at the Association for Project Management (APM) Conference April 2026

Why write a ‘blog’?

I wanted to offer my thoughts from what I’ve learnt, since October 2025, as a Project Coordinator on the Wellcome Anti-Ableist Research Culture project. This is a project which has been working towards further inclusion of disabled staff in the research culture of the University.  One aspect of my work on the team has been organising accessible in person and online events for the project, and having the opportunity to attend both of these larger conferences (150+ people) has made me consider different practical aspects of how we organise events with inclusion and accessibility in mind.

Association for Project Management Conference - 29th and 30th April 2026

My main aim in attending the Association for Project Management conference was to add to my professional project management skills and knowledge, and to (that lovely, slightly scary word) ‘network’ with other project professionals. As I was attending without other colleagues, I found that going to talk to the people on the many exhibition stands was a great starting point for me to converse with others (after having the tasty lasagna, (a little bit dangerous to eat whilst wearing a white blouse!) and had several interesting discussions including one on Artificial Intelligence. Having organised quite a few events myself I was in awe of the scale of the organisation of the Association of Project Management conference which included keynotes, parallel sessions, an exhibition, networking events and an award ceremony. I was impressed at the opening introduction of the conference when the APM Chief Executive Officer gave a visual description of himself, and this was continued throughout the conference. 

Other good practice I would highlight from the APM 2026 Conference:

• Captioning available on the large screens at all keynote and parallel sessions
• Announcements for when the next session was starting 
• Headphone microphones provided for speakers, and good lighting on stage.
• Hand held microphones for any audience interaction, with reminders to speak into the microphone. 
• The tiered lecture hall had wheelchair accessibility and space at the same level as the entrance.
• A lift was available and close by (as well as escalators) up to the first floor where the event was held - all the rooms for the conference were accessed via a shared space. 
• They had stewards at the doors during the sessions, and at other times for assistance if needed. 

The APM Conference ‘app’ (CVent Events) was very useful to me for the programme of events, which room I was meant to be in, and also very importantly when the lunch and refreshments were served! However, I am not sure how screen reader friendly the app is, but it would be interesting to know what provisions were made available for that. 

Read more about the APM Conference 

Reflection on my own experience in organising accessible events
I came to the Wellcome Anti-Ableist Research Culture project with event organisation experience, but I learned from the team that an ‘accessible event’ meant more, when organising the Humanising the System event with the team in December 2025. 
An ‘accessible’ event meant:

• Checking the venue arrangement for wheelchair accessibility and space between the tables. 
• Booking a quiet room at the venue for those who would like some time to themselves.
• Time for breaks, and a relaxed atmosphere so that people can come and go as they would like to.
• Ensuring the microphones work - hand-held, lectern, and radio microphones
• Booking British Sign Language interpreters (with plenty of notice where possible), and sharing as much information as possible in advance for them to plan the session.
• Making the menu inclusive and considering dietary requirements for those who prefer plainer, no fuss food (e.g. just ham, no mayonnaise in the sandwiches)
• EasyRead documents such as the agenda and other documents - sending in advance when requested
• Information and photos on the venue, parking, directions, (and accessible toilets) in advance

Most of all, as well as this anticipatory planning, it meant working alongside those who were participating and co-planning the event, and asking them what they would like, and what would be useful to them. 

Link to information on 'Accessible communication formats'  (GOV.UK)  

Elinor Noble - Blog Reflections on event accessibility in practice at the Leeds Disabilities Studies Conference in April 2026. 

Leeds Disabilities Studies conference - 14th -16th April 2026

I attended the Leeds Disabilities Studies conference, along with other members of the Wellcome Anti-Ableist Research Culture team which works towards further inclusion of disabled staff in University research culture. My main goals were to cheer them on, and learn more about the wider field and context of disabilities studies. I was also given the valuable opportunity to present in our panel session, sharing an acrostic on what Accessible means to me as a Professional Services colleague: 

Accessible means: Approachability, Consideration, Creating community, Everyone’s included, Sensitivity, Simple changes, Inclusive, Barriers removed, Learning, Equality

At the Leeds Disabilities Studies conference I noted some of their best practice that I’d like to highlight: 

• British Sign Language interpreters for the keynote speakers (with captioning for other smaller sessions). 
• Visual descriptions of any images that were displayed on powerpoint slides. 
• Scripts, slides and the keynote recordings were also made available on the Leeds Disabilities Studies conference website. 
• A room that was quieter to eat in at lunchtime
• Quiet breakout spaces which were advertised

 It perhaps should be expected that a conference which was centered on disability studies  would be accessible in meeting a variety of individual needs. In particular, having the visual descriptions of the slide images was a new experience, and I would like to offer this myself for future presentations and ask others to consider this as well for future events. 

Read more about the Leeds Disabilities Studies Conference