‘I've come on this course to learn how to be politically minded’: political discourses among students entering a social work programme

Small-group self-administered interviews were conducted with 80 students entering a social work degree in the UK, asking about their motivations, political engagement and perspectives on equality. Especially as the interviews went on, many students were found to identify structural constraints on agency and express a desire to learn more about the political stakes of social work. However, it was concluded that speakers had to contend with, and by degrees operate upon, a neoliberal discursive terrain.     

‘Unjust,inhumane and highly inaccurate’: the impact of changes to disability benefits and services – social media as a tool in research and activism

This article details research carried out as part of an MA in Social Research at the University of Leeds (UK). The research was concerned with two key issues: documenting the impact of recent cuts in benefits and services on disabled people; and the role of disabled people’s organisations in responding to this impact. It also explored the use of social media in recruiting research participants. Working with Hammersmith and Fulham Action on Disability, the experiences of 95 disabled people were gathered using focus groups and an online questionnaire distributed via social media. The use of social media to gather participants is something I felt was particularly interesting in relation to disabled people, especially in light of social media’s role in current disability rights campaigns, and a method I feel should be explored further.