Following Torie's email I thought I would join the research hub and introduce myself. I am in the very (!) final stages of my doctoral research which was an exploration of education inclusion/exclusion for disabled pupils undertaken with mothers of children who have Down syndrome. I also work freelance for the Down's Syndrome Association as their Education Advisor, as well as being co-director of Special Needs Jungle and volunteering for other SEND related organisations/a local homeless charity. I am a lead-group member of the SEN Policy Research Forum too. I look forward to being involved and getting to know you all.

I am in the final year of my Doctoral research at the University of Birmingham (in the School of Education). I started my research in 2019 and then Covid hit so it has taken me slightly longer than anticipated to complete. I am, however, now in the final writing-up stage at last. My research explores parents' experiences of education/inclusion of children who have Down syndrome. Over an academic year, I took part in ongoing conversations with seven mothers of children who have Down syndrome, discussing their views and experiences of what it means for their child to be meaningfully included in education settings. I am looking forward to being able to share the findings with this Network in the coming months. My second role is that I recently joined the Down's Syndrome Association as their Education Advisor, and I am currently working on a new project about inclusive education, looking at what educators might need in their day to day working life to feel more willing and confident to include children who have Down syndrome in their classroom. I know from my personal experiences as a mother, and also from my research, that there is some amazing innovative inclusive practice taking place across the country, and I will be looking at how to find out more about what is happening on the ground and to be able to bring together school leaders and practitioners to share those experiences and best practices. I am not a teacher myself, so I will be relying on the expertise of others in the room for that aspect!! Edited to add - I am also a lead member of the SEN Policy Research Forum. We publish a range of information/host events that you might be interested in. Here's a link to past policy papers which you might find helpful: https://senpolicyresearchforum.co.uk/past-policy-papers/ I am really looking forward to being part of this Network - I am aware there are policy changes afoot, so it is a somewhat interesting time to be undertaking these projects Lovely to meet you all :) Sharon