Dr Deborah Davys awarded Vice Chancellor Scholarship

Deborah is a lecturer in the Directorate of Occupational therapy and was awarded the Vice Chancellor’s Early Career Research Scholarship to further develop findings from her PhD thesis which was related to the future concerns of siblings of people who have a learning disability.

The VC award will help Deborah to gain an in-depth understanding of the roles, needs and concerns of fathers of adults who have a learning disability. Fathers of adults who have a learning disability is a significantly under-researched issue within a social context of increased demand upon families to provide care over the duration of the life course and the expectation that fathers will be involved in the care and support of their offspring.

The existing literature on fathers of children who have a learning disability presents the view that they often feel alienated by service providers, that service providers consider then as secondary to mothers in the care role and that fathers have specific needs.

This project is being undertaken with support from colleagues at Manchester Metropolitan University and a range of community organisations that provide support to families of people who have a learning disability.