Profile
Biography
I am a lecturer in Sociology. Originally from the far North of Scotland, I studied Sociology at the University of Aberdeen before doing a PhD at Newcastle University. I have an enduring fascination in the sociology of the body and questions of the self and identity from this time, and have explored these themes in my research through a focus on disability, genders and sexualities, particularly as they shape the narratives and lives of young people.
Previous employment in the Social Policy Research Unit at the University of York has given my research a bit of an applied policy bent. I think it matters that what we do makes a positive difference to people. More recently I’ve been undertaking co-produced research in the fields of social care and have developed an interest in theories and practices of care.
My research has been funded by the ESRC and NIHR, and has published in monographs by Palgrave (Narrative Identity and Lesbian and Gay Youth, 2014) and Routledge (Disabled Childhoods: Monitoring Differences and Emerging Identities, 2016 with Janice McLaughlin and Emma Clavering). I am currently co-editor of the BSA journal Sociological Research Online.
Research
Overview
My research is in the fields of disability studies and genders and sexualities. I am working on three projects at the moment. The ESRC funded Disability and Youth Transitions study is a three-year project exploring the diversities and inequalities in disabled young people's transitions from childhood to adulthood. Our concern is to understand the contemporary experience of transition from the perspectives of a range of disabled young people. The project is taking a longitudinal perspective and employs qualitative and other creative methods.
I lead a project funded by the NIHR School for Social Care Research, which has been examining the relationships and experiences of disabled young adults who manage their own personal support workers. Our focus on sexuality and gender in this research has allowed us to consider some of the intimate and interpersonal dimensions of support work that shape how disabled young adults choose to live their lives in a way that is right and satisfactory to them. This project is currently in its final stages, and we are focused on evaluating the research and developing useful project outputs, including an animation.
Finally, I am currently Co-I on the project, “What About Me?” People with learning disabilities living on the edge of support, a qualitative study involving people who do not have access to formal social care support.
What unites these projects are concerns with the operations of social policies and practices (or their absences) in the everyday lives of disabled people, particularly younger disabled people. Through co-production and qualitative methods, the projects I have worked on have developed insights into the impacts of policies alongside people's own views on their lives, who they are, and what matters to them.
Finally, alongside my colleagues Harvey Humphrey, Jen Slater and Charlotte Jones, I have been involved in developed a new space within disability studies, which we call the Queer Disability Studies Network
Publications
Selected publications
Humphrey, H., Slater, J., Coleman-Fountain, E., & Jones, C. (2023). Building a Community for Queer Disability Studies: Lessons from the Snail. Canadian Journal of Disability Studies, 12(1), 1–28.
Humphrey, H., Slater, J., Coleman-Fountain, E., & Jones, C. (2023). Création d’une communauté réunissant les études queer sur le handicap : leçons tirées de l’escargot. Canadian Journal of Disability Studies, 12(2), 226–258.
Humphrey, H., & Coleman-Fountain, E. (2023). Creating Time for LGBT+ Disabled Youth: Co-production Outside Chrononormativity. Sociological Research Online, 0(0). (online first)
