I am a blind academic. My work focuses on disability, inclusive leadership, and how institutions can move beyond narrow, ableist assumptions about ability, success, and productivity. I approach inclusion as an ongoing practice rather than a checklist. My work challenges deficit-based narratives of disability and instead centres disability as a source of knowledge, insight, and alternative ways of doing things.
Professor of Entrepreneurship and Inclusion at the Royal Holloway Business School, Royal Holloway University of London, UK
Volunteer with multiple UK disability organisations
Advisory Board Member for Guide Dogs UK, FIIB Centre for Responsible Management (India), Centenary Project and Access to Work Collective and Lead for Research Committee of National Council of Women GB
Public Speaker, Academic and Non-Academic Author, Disability Advocate, Foodie, Traveller, Mum, and proud Ed Sheeran enthusiast
A bit about my academic background
I completed my PhD at Leuphana University (Germany) in 2014 and have worked as a full-time academic ever since. I’ve been teaching at university level since 2008, and hold a Bachelor-equivalent degree from the International School of Management in Germany and a Master’s from the University of Queensland, Australia.
Research
I’m a qualitative researcher with a passion for interdisciplinary work and global collaboration. My research focuses on advancing inclusion and economic participation for disabled people across diverse areas—entrepreneurship, paid and unpaid work, and access to leisure, travel, and tourism. While these topics may seem distinct, they are deeply connected through the structural barriers disabled individuals face in everyday life. I explore how disabled people experience and respond to exclusion, challenge stigma, and advocate for change in systems not designed with them in mind.
I use co-created and co-produced methodologies that center lived experience and prioritize collaboration with disabled communities and organizations. These include ethnography, diary studies, and visual and artistic approaches. My goal is to generate rich, context-sensitive insights into the diverse lived experiences of disabled people globally, and to ensure that research is not only about disabled people but also shaped by them.
Teaching
I teach Responsible Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Responsible Business Management. I’ve guest lectured at universities including Ivey Business School (Canada), NYU London Campus (UK), Syracuse University (USA), Turku University (Finland), University of Bayreuth (Germany), and Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Germany).
Volunteering
I volunteer for Guide Dogs for the Blind Association as a speaker, fundraiser, and campaigner. At Royal Holloway, I chair the Disability and Mental Health Staff Network and co-chair the Disability Equity Group. I further volunteer as a peer-to-peer buddy support for the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) and serve on various advisory boards for UK-based charities.
Outside of work, I’m a passionate foodie, enthusiastic traveller, proud mum and wife, lover of musicals and theatre and unapologetic Ed Sheeran fan.
A bit about my disability:
I have cone-rod dystrophy (CRD), a genetic degenerative condition that primarily affects my central vision but has also moved into my peripheral vision. Over time, my eyesight has dropped from about 30% when I was a child to below 0.5% now. As a consequence, I am one of many registered blind people who have some residual vision.
The vision I have left is blurry and flickers all the time. Additionally, I have photophobia, which means that I am very light-sensitive. This is why you will never see me without sunglasses on my head. I don’t use them all the time, but they are there if I need them quickly. Otherwise, I can get very bad headaches or even migraines. It feels as if someone is trying to push a knife into my eye(s).
I experience visual hallucinations as part of Charles Bonnet Syndrome, (CBS) a condition that affects people with significant vision loss. My hallucinations include yellow and red fireworks and green and blue neon glowworms that make geometric shapes. These are always there. On top, I sometimes see lampposts, bollards, walls, or trees. Occasionally, I notice random things like elephants or dodgy-looking people. I also see the horizontal beams on sailing boats.
I use a screen reader built into my computer. I get around with my incredibly cute and clever guide dog, Maisie (her Instagram). Or, when necessary with my long white cane Harry (“Cane”) or for special occasions my glem cane Katie. At work, I am fortunate to have an Access to Work Support Worker who helps out with various tasks that I can’t do or that take me a long time due to my blindness