Role
Steve Atkin is an Hourly Paid Lecturer and Postgraduate Researcher at Nottingham Law School. In addition to his research on disability welfare benefits law in the UK and Ireland, and on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Steve also manages the NTU Postgraduate Researcher Community and is a member of the Centre for Rights and Justice.
Career overview
Steve worked in B2B and B2C premium sales before joining Nottingham Law School as a Postgraduate Researcher. Steve previously volunteered for NLS Legal where he honed his legal research and client management skills, particularly in the area of property law.
Research areas
Steve is currently in the final year of his PhD. His thesis is titled To What Extent are the Rights of Disabled Individuals Upheld in the Welfare Systems of the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom’. His research aims to determine whether disability welfare benefits law in the UK and Ireland meet accessibility standards as set by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in order to provide recommendations on how to improve the claimant experience for Personal Independence Payment in the UK and Disability Allowance in Ireland. His research areas include:
- Social Security Law
- Welfare Reform
- Austerity
- International Human Rights Law
- Disability Rights Protection
External activity
- Steve has discussed the implications of his research with the National Disability Authority of Ireland.
- Steve has consulted with the Alliance for Inclusive Education regarding accessibility guidelines for university students.
- Steve delivered his presentation Why the law is as it is: Applying the law-in-context method of comparative legal research to disability welfare law in the UK and Ireland to the Midlands4Cities Research Festival 2022.
- Steve delivered his presentation Disability, Language and Identity to the Created Identities Conference 2020.
- Steve delivered his presentation The 5th Dimension of Accessibility to the Midlands4Cities Research Festival 2020.
- Member of the Society of Legal Scholars
- Member of the Socio-Legal Studies Association
- Member of the First Generation Student Network
Sponsors and collaborators
- Steve secured a scholarship from the Arts and Humanities Research Council Midlands4Cities Doctoral Training Partnership for his PhD.