Steve John
Atkin

Steve is currently in his first year of a PhD programme with Nottingham Law School titled ‘To What Extent are the Rights of Disabled Individuals Upheld in the Welfare Systems of the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom’. Steve is a Midlands4Cities DTP student and his PhD programme is funded by a scholarship from the Arts and Humanities Research Council. He is supervised by Dr Peter McTigue and Elspeth Berry from the NLS and Professor Rachel Fyson, director of the Centre for Social Work at the University of Nottingham.

Steve undertook his LLB in Law and LLM in Human Rights and Justice with NLS. He credits the working relationships and networks he formed throughout his time with NLS, particularly with his supervisory team, as the main contributing factor for his decision to undertake his PhD with NLS. He believes that the culture of support, focus on employability options, and the wide range of training opportunities offered by NTU ensure that his PhD programme is positive, enjoyable and rewarding experience.

Steve’s PhD research continues from his LLM studies into the relationship between domestic welfare law and international human rights guidelines.

Steve organises the Early Career Researcher Forum (ECRF) along with Adela Kratenova. The ECRF is a research community for NTU PGRs and ECRs that meets each month in sessions based on skills development and social activities. Recent ECRF sessions focused on designing academic posters and on mindfulness and wellbeing.

Steve has consulted with the Alliance for Inclusive Education regarding accessibility guidelines for university students. He is currently organising a community outreach event in Nottingham centred on learning about human rights.

Conferences:

• Midlands4Cities Research Festival July 2020: How Far-Reaching is the Right to Accessibility
• Created Identities September 2020: Disability and Person-First Language vs Identity-First Language