Over the summer, the Sheffield School for Social Care Research (SSCR) recruited their first Undergraduate interns, teaming up with the University’s SURE scheme. Our internship funding helps us deliver on our aim to support talented Undergraduates to gain experience in applied adult social care research, and provide students with the opportunity to undertake a discrete and meaningful research activity that will result in a high quality research experience. We were absolutely delighted by the engagement, commitment and talent demonstrated by our first three interns and in this blog series, you can read about their experiences in their own words.
First up, we have Miranda Bednar, a second year student in Sociological Studies who completed a project called Supporting Accessibility and Inclusion in Social Care Research, supervised by Elsie Ledger, SSCR Research Trainee.
Miranda says:
“For my internship, I developed an A-Z Easy Read glossary with a focus on adult social care research. I produced over 100 pages of the glossary, including an introduction, background, Easy Read guidance, table of contents, Easy Read design suggestions, index and A-Z glossary entry terms. The glossary terms included suggested photosymbols on the left hand side and clear and simple definitions on the right hand side. Some of the words had multiple definitions to account for different contexts.
I also attended a workshop where I collaborated with SSCR trainees, academic researchers and self-advocacy group Speakup. This workshop focused on assessing existing Easy Read materials and developing Easy Read definitions. I used the ideas from the workshop to shape the design and language of the glossary. I also produced a blog reflecting on the workshop and what I learnt from this experience.
I conducted a critical review of existing similar resources from Easy Read Wales Definition Dictionary, West Northamptonshire Council and West Glamorgan Regional Partnership. Using my learning from the workshop and from reviewing existing Easy Read materials, I carefully assessed aspects and features of existing glossary resources that functioned well and identified which aspects were in need of improvement. For example, while the resources used simple language and the text was well spaced out, the definitions were often vague and open to misinterpretation. Additionally, the colour design for the text borders was sometimes too bold and harsh, using neon and bright colours, which are not always ideal for people with low vision or dyslexia. I used the reflections from this review to improve the readability and accessibility of the Easy Read glossary.
To create the glossary definitions, I contacted researchers with experience of developing Easy Read materials and asked to review their resources. I used mapping to critically analyse these materials, which helped me to identify commonly used words, how they were presented, and ways of making them easier to understand. I used these findings to carefully create definitions that are meaningful, clear and accessible, while avoiding bias in the language I used.
This internship was highly valuable and taught me many skills. In particular, the internship strengthened my ability to write in clear, simple and concise language, while still capturing the multidimensional elements of the information. This is essential when creating accessible materials to reduce barriers for non-academic audiences to access specialist and academic information. During this process, the internship also strengthened my critical thinking, analytical skills and meticulous attention to detail through refining precise and meaningful glossary entries. This is an invaluable skill that extends beyond the internship and shall be applicable throughout my undergraduate degree and future career. Finally, the internship also improved my confidence in communicating with academic researchers, allowing me to gain insider knowledge into the field and a deeper understanding of the process behind producing academic projects at the University of Sheffield.”
Why was it important to you to gain experience in applied adult social care research?
“As someone with ADHD and a strong interest in disability and inclusion studies, this internship was particularly important and meaningful to me. This is because I believe academic research should be inclusive and accessible in order for a wider range of people from different backgrounds, particularly those whose voices have historically been underrepresented and marginalised, to be able to contribute to and benefit from social care research. Reducing barriers to understanding specialist and academic information is an important part of this, enabling more people to participate in research and helping researchers better understand where improvements are needed. As such, gaining experience in applied adult social care research was very important to me to help make a positive difference to social care research.
This internship also provided a valuable opportunity to gain first-hand experience of the inner workings within applied adult social care research. This was important to me to gain a deeper understanding of how research is developed in practice, providing me with essential experiences within this field from collaborating with researchers to critically evaluating existing resources and producing valuable materials. This experience reinforced my interest in pursuing a career in social research and has given me a stronger understanding of how inclusive research can make a meaningful difference to people’s lives.”
How do you think this will help your future career plans?
“This internship has given me valuable hands-on experience of working with academic researchers and producing a resource with a real-world impact outside of my academic studies. The experiences and skillset provided to me from this internship have given me greater confidence working in social research, and have therefore given me a strong foundation for applying for future roles in this field. This is something that excites me and that I am very grateful for.”
Miranda was supervised by SSCR Research Trainee Elsie. Of her experience, Elsie says:
“Working with Miranda has been a great experience both personally and for the SSCR. The glossary she has developed will be utilised by many SSCR projects and researchers, as well as those outside of the SSCR. Developing Easy Read definitions, locating appropriate photosymbols and defining complex (often quite subjective and ambiguous) terms is a tricky task for even the most proficient researcher. The glossary, containing over 140 social care research words and phrases, provides a massive head start for anybody looking to make their materials more accessible and inclusive. It was a pleasure to meet weekly with Miranda, seeing the glossary grow and develop; Miranda attended our meetings with all the right questions, and also taught me so much over the internship. Miranda has been exceptional to work with, showing considerable conscientiousness, initiative and care in her work. I am really proud of the work she has produced and grateful for her significant contribution to the School for Social Care Research."