Anthony Maher is Director of Research and a Professor within the Carnegie School of Education. Anthony’s research strives to challenge and change the disadvantages faced by disabled children and young people within education.

Tell us a bit about you and what led you to working with Carnegie School of Education?

I am Director of Research and Professor of Special Educational Needs, Disability, and Inclusion in the Carnegie School of Education at Leeds Beckett University. 

My research relates mainly to exploring the experiences and amplifying the voices of disabled children and young people in the various education settings that they find themselves. This is part of my attempt to empower disabled children and young people by placing them at the centre of decisions that impact their lives, and recognising that they have expert knowledge because of their lived, embodied experiences. 

I was drawn to the Carnegie School of Education because of its strong focus on social justice and inclusion, both of which align with my own values, beliefs, and principles. 

What makes you passionate about your work, and why is it important to empower disabled children and young people?

I am passionate about attempting to improve the educational experiences and life chances of disabled children and young people. It is well known that disabled children and young people experience significant disadvantage in all aspect of life, including education, when compared to their age peers. Therefore, I believe that it is crucial that nondisabled people like myself use our privileges to challenge and change this disadvantage. 

How is collaboration integral to your work, and what are one or two collaborations that have been most meaningful to you?

Collaboration is crucial to the work I do. I have found that multi-agency and multi-stakeholder approaches are crucial for achieving the positive change I want to see in the educational experiences and lives of disabled children and young people. 

While I value all the collaborations that I have developed and experienced during my career, it is the work that I do directly with schools that is most meaningful to me. The collaboration that I am most excited about now is with St. Vincent's School in Liverpool, which caters for children with sensory impairments. I am working with the principal and deputy principal of St. Vincent's on several projects that aim to support staff and improve the educational experiences and life changes of children at the school. 

What achievements in this area have you been most proud of while working in Carnegie School of Education?

Since working in the Carnegie School of Education the achievement that I am most proud of was leading a team of colleagues to develop a mental wellbeing framework for schools in the Middle East and North African (MENA) region. This was a British Council-funded project and involved co-designing a mental wellbeing framework with ministry officials, including ministers of education, school ambassadors, and British Council working groups across eight participating countries: Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen, Iraq, Palestine, Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt. The framework provided a structure for schools across the MENA region, to plan and develop their mental wellbeing provision to support the needs of students and staff.