Dr Melanie Best

Dr Melanie Best

Mel is a Senior Lecturer in the Institute of Human Sciences, teaching on the BA (Hons) Sport Studies and Development course and the new BA (Hons) Sport Business Management course. Her teaching focuses on sport development and research modules, and she believes that learning should take place outside of, as well as within the classroom. As such she enjoys challenging students to complete tasks within the wider sporting community.

Mel completed her PhD at Loughborough University, exploring the psycho-social health and well-being of Britain's Wheelchair Basketball athletes in relation to the London 2012 Paralympics. Her further research was focused on Paralympic athletes, and includes a current piece of research examining inspirational leadership within British Judo and British Wheelchair Basketball ahead of the Tokyo 2021 Games.

Project: Examining the lived experiences of disabled female staff in relation to their employment and career progression at the University of Wolverhampton.

Legislation (eg Equality Act, 2010) and government schemes (eg The Disability Confident Scheme) have emerged in the last decade to promote the employment rights of disabled staff. That said at universities, though 15 - 16% of the UK population are disabled, only 4.1% and 5.8% of academic and non-academic staff have a disability, suggesting that these institutions may not be as 'inclusive' as they claim to be (Merchant et al, 2019). The proportion in leadership positions has also been historically low, with institutional and personal barriers impeding some in achieving seniority (Emira et al, 2018). Additionally, as Brewster et al (2017) highlight, there is the issue of intersectionality to consider, in so far as gender or ethnicity could further impact the progression of disabled staff within HEIs. Though increasing literary attention has been given to disability within universities over the last twenty years, it has tended to focus on students (Beninger, 2011) or the staff population as a whole. This research focuses on females specifically, with the research methodology comprising qualitative semi-structured interviews of staff members, alongside the analysis of quantitative data pertaining to this population within the university. The research will explore effective support systems, substantiate any inequalities and offer recommendations. It will also contribute to Athena SWAN submissions, including a future silver application from the Department of Sport.