Professor Dan Goodley
PhD, BSc (Hons)
School of Education
Professor of Disability Studies and Education
iHuman Co-director


+44 114 222 8185
Full contact details
School of Education
The Wave
2 Whitham Road
Sheffield
S10 2AH
- Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ interests
-
Critical disability studies
Dan is interested in theorising and challenging the conditions of 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). He draws on ideas from critical psychology, medical sociology, medical humanities, philosophy, sociology and education. A key intellectual project relates to exploring the ways in which critical disability studies can disrupt and change knowledge within education, medicine and science and technology.
Disability and Questions of the Human
Dan is interested in contesting narrow and orthodox conceptions of the human condition. Dan is working with colleagues in the School of Education and across the university to explore how we might understand the human in the 21st century in a time of technological and capitalist advance. He co-directs (with Professor Paul Martin, Sociological Studies) iHuman.
Current and a selection of previous research projects include:
- Wellcome Trust Discretionary Award (£2.9 million). Disability Matters (September 2023 – September 2029). PI: Goodley. CoIs. Tanya Titchkosky (University of Toronto, Canada), Anita Ghai and Sandeep Singh (Ambedkar University Delhi, India), Meng Ee Wong (National Institute of Education/Nanyang Technological University, Singapore), Jackie Leach Scully (University of New South Wales, Australia).
- Economic and Social Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Council (£731,114). ES/W003406/1. . PI: Goodley. Co-Is Katherine Runswick-Cole, Rebecca Lawthom (University of Sheffield), Rohit Shankar (University of Plymouth), Charlotte Lawthom (Aneurin Bevan University Health Board), Speakup Self-advocacy, Sheffield Voices, Sunderland People First, Barod. September 2022 - August 2025.
- EPSRC-funded UKRI Trustworthy Autonomous Systems Hub Pump Priming. (£147,414). PI; Goodley. CoIs: Lauren Brown, Kirsty Liddiard, Alison Buxton, James Law (University of Sheffield), Radu Calinescu, Colin Paterson, Beverley Townsend, Chiara Picardi (University of York), Harry Gordon (Greenacre School). April 2022 - March 2023.
- University of Sheffield / Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ England. (£17,000). . PI: Goodley. CoI: Barry Gibson (Dentistry), Elizabeth Croot (Health and Related Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ) Dr Esme Cleall (History, Pirashanthie Vivekananda-Schmidt (Medical Education), Parveen Ali (Nursing and Midwifery), Lindsay Unwin (Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Ethics & Integrity Manager, Secretary to the University Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Ethics Committee). April 2022 - July 2022
- Economic and Social Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Council (£443,000 – Grant No. ES/P001041/1). . PI: Goodley (University of Sheffield), Co-Is: Katherine Runswick Cole and Kirsty Liddiard (University of Sheffield). March 2017 - March 2020.
- Economic and Social Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Council (£425,000 – Grant No. RES-622-26-376). Principal Investigators; Dan Goodley (University of Sheffield), Co-Is: Katherine Runswick Cole (Manchester Metropolitan University), Toby Brandon (Northumbria University), Kelley Johnson (Bristol University). July 2013 - July 2015.
- SCOPE (£51,500). Resilience in the lives of disabled people across the life course. Principal Investigators; Dan Goodley and Katherine Runswick Cole (Manchester Metropolitan University). October 2011 – September 2012.
- British Association of Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) (£8,500). Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµing placement parties and child adoption. Principal Investigators: Goodley and Katherine Runswick-Cole (Manchester Metropolitan University). October 2011 – September 2012.
- Economic and Social Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Council (£255, 000 – Grant No. RES-062-23-1138). Does every child matter, post Blair? The interconnections of disabled childhoods. Principal Investigators; Dan Goodley (Manchester Metropolitan University) and Janice McLaughlin (University of Newcastle); Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Fellow: Katherine Runswick Cole. September 2008 – October 2010.
- Prime Minister’s Initiative 2 / UK Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Co-operation Programme (£40,000). Towards a culturally sensitive disability studies: Interconnections of disability studies in and across Malaysia and the UK. Principal Investigators: Dan Goodley and Rebecca Lawthom (Manchester Metropolitan University); Dr Ling How Kee and Mr Dolly Paul Carlo (Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia). August 2008 - August 2010.
- European Social Fund (£425,000). Jobs not Charity. Dan Goodley (University of Sheffield) in association with Breakthrough UK Ltd and Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People. December 2003 – December 2005.
- Economic and Social Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Council (£300, 000 – Grant No. RES-000-23-0129). Parents, Professionals and Disabled Babies: Identifying Enabling Care Dan Goodley (University of Sheffield) and Janice McLaughlin (University of Newcastle). June 2003 – November 2006.
- Economic and Social Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Council (£85, 000 – Grant No. R000237697) Self-advocacy, Civil Rights and People with ‘Learning Difficulties. Dan Goodley (Bolton Institute) and Derrick Armstrong. September 1998 – June 2001.
- Publications
-
- Books
- Edited books
- Journal articles
- Chapters
- Book reviews
- Conference proceedings papers
- Website content
- Dictionary/encyclopaedia entries
- Other
- Preprints
Books
Edited books
Journal articles
- Self-advocacy, "learning difficulties," and the social model of disability.. Ment Retard, 41(3), 149-160.
- How do you understand "learning difficulties"? Towards a social theory of impairment.. Ment Retard, 39(3), 229-232.
Chapters
Book reviews
Conference proceedings papers
Website content
Dictionary/encyclopaedia entries
Other
Preprints
- Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ group
-
Dan supervises undergraduate, masters and doctoral students in the areas of:
- Critical disability studies;
- Qualitative research including ethnography, narrative inquiry, discourse analysis, Inclusive education;
- Queer, Feminist, Postcolonial and Crip studies, Critical Psychology, Sociology of Education, Sociology of the Body, Sociology of Emotions/Affect;
- Posthuman and DisHuman studies.
- Teaching activities
-
Dan has taught psychology, education, sociology and research methodology at A level, undergraduate, masters and doctoral levels. He has led and contributed to a number of undergraduate modules:
- EDU206 Psychology and Learning Communities
- EDU309 Globalising Education
- Professional activities and memberships
-
- Visiting Professor, University of Ghent, 2017-2018
- Visiting Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ, University of Toronto, 2018
- Professorial Visiting Fellow, University of New South Wales, School of Social Sciences, 2011 – 2014
- Visiting Scholar, University of Iceland, Centre for Disability Studies, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, 2010 - 2013
- Editorial Advisory Board member for NASEN journals, 2012 - 2014
- Editorial board member: Disability & Society; Educational Action Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ; Skandinavian Journal of Disability Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ; Ethnographica Journal of Culture and Disability; The Journal of Inclusive Practice in Further and Higher Education; Disability and the Global South.
- ESRC Peer Review College member, 2010 -
- Illustrator, Viewpoint ‘The Learning Disability Magazine’: MENCAP publications (2001-2004)
- Columnist, Community Living Magazine (2002-2003)