The British Academy elects to its fellowship outstanding UK-based scholars who have achieved distinction in any branch of the humanities and social sciences on an annual basis. Election to the Fellowship is the highest honour that the Academy confers on UK residents. With only a very small number of scholars in any field being elected this is a testament to the contribution Dan has made to Social Scientific theorisation and contestation of ableism and disablism through collaborative research with disabled people's organisations.
On hearing he had been elected to the fellowship, Dan said, "An individual recognition can only be understood as a collective recognition of the work of a community of colleagues in and outside of the university. This fellowship of the BA illuminates the wider critical disability studies research and scholarship that I and many others in iHuman and the School of Education have been able to develop in collaboration with students, activists, academics and students.
All of us are committed to understanding and challenging disablism (the social, political, cultural and psycho-emotional exclusion of people with physical, sensory and/or cognitive impairments) and ableism (the contemporary ideals on which the able, autonomous, productive citizen is based).
I am delighted that the fellowship recognises our critical disability studies community."
About the British Academy
The humanities and social sciences have a rich and unique contribution to make to the world we live in. The British Academy’s fellowship and award-holders represent breadth and excellence of expertise across these disciplines, and the Academy’s policy and research work is dedicated to applying that insight to policy issues for public benefit and societal wellbeing.