My story : My 'why'...
SEND is more than my profession—it is a significant part of who I am.
I view Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) through multiple lenses: as an academic researcher, specialist practitioner, with the profound lived reality as the proud parent of an amazing autistic young man. These experiences have shaped not only my career but also my understanding of the challenges, frustrations, joys, and triumphs that many children, young people, families, and professionals experience every day.
My professional expertise spans Autism, Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD), and Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH). I am also passionate about exploring the intersections of race, ethnicity, culture, and disability within education, advocating for inclusive, equitable learning environments where every child is seen, valued, and supported to thrive.
With a PhD in Education (specialising in the intersections of race, ethnicity, culture and autism), MSc in Psychological Sciences, and more than 20 years of experience working with autistic children and young people (15 years teaching in a special school), I have dedicated my career to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND. I particularly enjoy helping schools make the connections between research and practice, translating complex theory into practical strategies that make a meaningful difference in classrooms and communities. Throughout my career, I have worked alongside both specialist and mainstream schools to develop provision, support staff development, and strengthen partnerships with families. This work has proudly extended into universities, local authorities and wider communities. I deeply believe that lasting change happens when everyone works together with trust, understanding, and a shared commitment to the child or young person at the centre. Alongside my work within education, I am fiercely committed to supporting parents and carers, who are professionals in their own right. I know first-hand how overwhelming and exhausting navigating the SEND system can feel. Whether it is understanding the EHCP process, dealing with difficult conversations, identifying an appropriate educational provision, addressing exclusions, or simply finding a way forward when things feel stuck, I strive to help families feel informed, supported, and empowered.
Focus Areas
Training and Development
Delivering high-energy, thought-provoking professional development that equips teams with practical skills through engaging, evidence-based learning.
I am an intersectional SEND specialist who will support you to embed a modern, multi-layered identity framework into your organisational standard to ensure no learner or employee is left behind.
Creating bespoke autism-focused learning and SEN support plans, with SMART targets, staff coaching and observations that meet the individual needs of each autistic child or young person.
Creating culturally responsive and sustainable curricula that recognises the value of race, ethnicity, culture and SEND.
Intersectionality Mindset
Autism SEND Support & Strategy
Curriculum Audit/ Analysis
My Philosophy
Social justice in the SEND sector requires active, uncompromised advocacy that targets the structural imbalances isolating families. My practice operationalises this commitment by uniting rigorous academic research, frontline educational expertise, and my lived reality as a SEND parent. By standing firmly at the intersection of all three spaces, I help pathways navigate immense daily operational pressures and evolving national standards, while structurally integrating and legally protecting the authentic insights, rights, and lived experiences of SEND young people and their families.