WATCH: “I love this University – it re-made me.”
05 Nov 2025
“I want to re-make it now,” says disability activist, Laura Howard who, along with Jackie Carter and Steven Pierce, is going to “level the playing field” for her peers in a Research culture and environment funded project.
Laura Howard is celebrating completing her PhD in Archaeology here at Manchester, 13 years after an accident left her with life-changing injuries. She has fulfilled a promise she made to herself as she recovered at the Walton Centre specialist hospital, that she would return to the research she loved.
Not only that, Laura – with Professor Emerita of Statistical Literacy, Jackie Carter, our University’s former UoM Disability Inclusion lead, and Professor Steven Pierce, Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, SALC – has worked tirelessly to improve disability provision here. She was determined that others would not face the same struggles, the same barriers, the same need to mask their true selves, to prove themselves to the academic world.
Now their project, ‘Realising Disability Inclusion for PGRs and ECRs’ has secured funding from the University’s Enhancing Research Culture Fund. This new project will provide targeted funding for the extra support disabled PGRs and ECRs need; mentoring and leadership skills for both disabled PGRs and their supervisors; and an e-comic based on Laura’s experience, for use as a ‘toolkit’ for supervisors.
“I love this University – it re-made me,” Laura says. “I want to remake it now and make it equitable. I want future PGRs to have a level playing field. I want them to have the same experience as other PGRs here.
“I don’t want them to feel the way I did when I started. I want them to feel the way I do now.”
She adds: “I’m aware that there are 100 disabled academics behind me and if I mess up, the door slams shut. And my hope is that door gets took off the hinges.”
Here Laura tells her story and she, Jackie and Steven explain why they plan to take that door off its hinges:
Get involved
To find out more and get involved in the work, whether you are a disabled researcher or a supervisor who may – one day, if not now – work with a disabled PGR, contact the Disabled Staff Network Group:
You can also listen to Jackie’s podcast:
Further information
This project was one of seven funded following the launch of the University’s Research Culture and Environment framework.
The University’s research culture is defined as the way that we collaborate, communicate, and interact with each other; the behaviours, attitudes, and values that shape how our research is developed, conducted, and used; and the mechanisms by which we support research and recognise and reward that work. The funded projects align to one of the University’s four research culture themes:
- Supporting diverse and rewarding careers;
- Enabling open and impactful research;
- Upholding the highest levels of responsible and ethical research;
- Building collaboration and interdisciplinarity.
Associate Vice-President for Research, Professor Melissa Westwood said: “The applications received in response to this call showed a real breadth and diversity of ideas to help shape our research culture and demonstrated the passion and innovation of colleagues across our University.
“The seven funded projects address a range of challenges, and we are excited to see the impact they will have in such important areas of our research culture.”
For more information and support, visit: