Dr Kirsty Liddiard

BA Hons, MA

School of Education

Senior Research Fellow

Co-Director of the Participatory Research Network

Committee Member, Disability Staff Network

edu - photo of kirsty liddiard
Profile picture of edu - photo of kirsty liddiard
k.liddiard@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 8111
The Wave

Full contact details

Dr Kirsty Liddiard
School of Education
The Wave
2 Whitham Road
Sheffield
S10 2AH
Profile

Kirsty Liddiard is a feminist disability studies scholar and disabled researcher whose co-produced research centres on lived experience, emotion and embodiment as core axes through which to understand the everyday lives of disabled people and their families. She is the author of The Intimate Lives of Disabled People (2018, Routledge) and the co-editor of The Palgrave Handbook of Disabled Children鈥檚 Childhood Studies (2018, Palgrave). She is also co-editor of Being Human in Covid-19 (2022, Bristol University Press) and a co-author of Living Life to the Fullest: Youth, Disability and Voice (2022, Emerald). Kirsty also co-directs the university's Participatory Research Network, a university-wide, cross faculty initiative that nurtures and supports participatory research and co-production approaches across the university. To learn more about PRN, please see: /ihuman/prn

Research interests

Kirsty's interests emerge from over 15 years of disability research around sex and love; identity and youth; disabled childhoods; studies of the pandemic; D/deaf studies and media; academic ableism; and more recently, respiratory health and illness. More specifically, Kirsty's collaborative approach to inquiry explores the ways in which disablism and ableism both inform and shape the everyday lives of disabled people and their families. Kirsty's research is primarily co-produced and/or participatory in nature - with disabled people and their families and allies; disabled people's organisations (DPOs); and arts, charitable and advocacy organisations. Her work often centres arts-informed methodologies because of the ways in which they push the boundaries of traditional social scientific thinking and enable multiple ways of thinking and knowing. Her current project, Cripping Breath: Towards a new cultural politics of respiration, funded by a Wellcome Discovery Award, explores the lives of people who have had their lives saved or sustained by ventilatory medical technologies. To learn more about this project, please see:

Publications

Books

  • Liddiard K, Whitney-Mitchell S, Evans K, Mbe LW, Spurr R, Vogelmann E, Runswick-Cole K & Goodley D (2022) Living life to the fullest: Disability, youth and voice.
  • Liddiard K (2017) The Intimate Lives of Disabled People. Routledge.
  • Liddiard K, Curran T & Runswick-Cole K (2017) .

Edited books

  • (Ed.) (2022) BEING HUMAN DURING COVID- 19..
  • Runswick-Cole K, Curran T & Liddiard K (Eds.) (2017) The Palgrave Handbook of Disabled Children's Childhood Studies. Springer.

Journal articles

  • Peat G, Glover S, Radu C, Jones S, Binney G, Parkin J, Fraser L, Abbott D & Liddiard K (2025) . Journal of Long-Term Care, 231-244.
  • Ellis J, Atkinson L, Glover S, Kettle J, Joseph G, Hale J, Jones A, Coles M, Bligh L, Bridgens R , O'Kane C et al (2025) . Frontiers in Sociology, 10.
  • White L, Buxton A, Liddiard K, Goodley D, Qarni S, Jansen E, Gordon H & Gillard S (2025) . Journal of Disability Studies in Education.
  • Liddiard K & Lawthom R (2025) . Feminism & Psychology, 35(2), 125-137.
  • Goodley D, Liddiard K & Lawthom R (2025) . Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 27(1), 120-133.
  • Liddiard K, Atkinson L, Evans K, Gibson B, Goodley D, Hale J, Lawson R, Runswick-Cole K, Spurr R, Vogelmann E , Watts L et al (2024) . Research in Education.
  • Goodley D, Lawthom R, Liddiard K & Runswick-Cole K (2023) . Sociology of Health and Illness, 45(6), 1187-1204.
  • Martin P, De Saille S, Liddiard K & Pearce W (2022) Introduction. Being Human During Covid 19, 1-9.
  • Goodley D, Lawthom R, Liddiard K & Runswick-Cole K (2021) . International Journal of Disability and Social Justice, 1(1), 27-49.
  • Goodley D, Lawthom R, Liddiard K & Runswick-Cole-Cole K (2021) . Journal of Disability Studies in Education, 1(1-2), 125-144.
  • Goodley D, Cameron D, Liddiard K, Parry R, Runswick-Cole K, Whitburn B & Wong ME (2020) . Canadian Journal of Disability Studies, 9(5), 515-549.
  • Liddiard K, Whitney S, Evans K, Watts L, Vogelmann E, Spurr R, Aimes C, Runswick-Cole K & Goodley D (2019) . Sociology of Health & Illness, 41(8), 1473-1487.
  • Daly A, Heah R & Liddiard K (2019) . Global Studies of Childhood, 9(3), 235-248.
  • Goodley D, Lawthom R, Liddiard K & Runswick-Cole K (2019) . Disability & Society, 34(6), 972-997.
  • Liddiard K, Runswick鈥怌ole K, Goodley D, Whitney S, Vogelmann E & Watts L (2019) . Children & Society, 33(2), 154-167.
  • Rice C, Chandler E, Liddiard K, Rinaldi J & Harrison E (2018) . Gender and Education, 30(5), 663-682.
  • Liddiard K & Slater J (2018) . Sexualities, 21(3).
  • Goodley D, Liddiard K & Runswick-Cole K (2018) . Disability and Society, 33(2), 197-217.
  • Liddiard K (2016) Imagining Disability Futurities. Hypatia.
  • Liddiard K & Goodley D (2016) . Community Dental Health, 33(2), 152-155.
  • Ignagni E, Fudge Schormans A, Liddiard K & Runswick-Cole K (2016) . Disability and Society.
  • Goodley D, Runswick Cole K & Liddiard K (2015) . Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education.
  • Liddiard K (2015) . Disability and Society , 30(9), 1445-1448.
  • Rice C, Chandler E, Harrison E, Liddiard K & Ferrari M (2015) . Disabiltiy and Society, 30(4), 513-527.
  • Liddiard K (2014) Liking for Like鈥檚 Sake 鈥 The Commodification of Disability on Facebook. Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 20(3), 94-101.
  • Liddiard K (2014) . Sexualities, 17(7), 837-855.
  • Liddiard K (2014) . Disability & Society, 29(1), 115-128.
  • Liddiard K (2013) . Sociological Research Online, 18(3), 105-117.
  • Ignagni E, Chandler E, Collins K, Darby A & Liddiard K () . Canadian Journal of Disability Studies, 8(4), 293-320.
  • Slater T & Liddiard K () . Canadian Journal of Disability Studies, 7(2), 83-93.

Book chapters

  • Kettle J, Glover S & Liddiard K (2026) , Handbooks in Philosophy (pp. 1-24). Springer Nature Switzerland
  • Goodley D, Lawthom R, Liddiard K & Cole KR (2025) , The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Social Psychology (pp. 531-545). Springer Nature Switzerland
  • Runswick-Cole K, Goodley D & Liddiard K (2023) Inviting disability: disabled children and studies of childhood In Balagopalan S, Wall J & Wells K (Ed.), The Bloomsbury Handbook of Theories in Childhood Studies (pp. 85-95). Bloomsbury
  • Runswick-Cole K, Goodley D, Liddiard K & Whitney S (2023) , Research Handbook on Disability Policy (pp. 636-652). Edward Elgar Publishing
  • Runswick-Cole K, Goodley D & Liddiard K (2023) (pp. 85-95). Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
  • Goodley D, Liddiard K, Runswick-Cole K, Watts L, Whitney S, Dobbin H & Moss C (2022) , Palgrave Handbook of Critical Posthumanism (pp. 793-822). Springer International Publishing
  • (2022) , Living Life to the Fullest: Disability, Youth and Voice (pp. i-xii). Emerald Publishing Limited
  • (2022) , Living Life to the Fullest: Disability, Youth and Voice (pp. 115-124). Emerald Publishing Limited
  • Evans K, Whitney-Mitchell S & Liddiard K (2022) , Living Life to the Fullest: Disability, Youth and Voice (pp. 125-145). Emerald Publishing Limited
  • Evans K, Whitney-Mitchell S & Liddiard K (2022) , Living Life to the Fullest: Disability, Youth and Voice (pp. 79-98). Emerald Publishing Limited
  • Goodley D, Runswick-Cole K & Liddiard K (2022) , Living Life to the Fullest: Disability, Youth and Voice (pp. 11-23). Emerald Publishing Limited
  • Liddiard K, Runswick-Cole K, Goodley D, Spurr R, Whitney S, Vogelmann E, MBE LW & Evans K (2022) (pp. 60-66). Bristol University Press
  • Arthur KNA, Amanatidou E, Saille SD, Birabi T & Pandey P (2022) (pp. 117-123). Bristol University Press
  • R酶stvik CM, Kennedy H, Aiello G & Anderson CW (2022) , Being Human During COVID-19 (pp. 28-35). Bristol University Press
  • Martin P, Saille SD, Liddiard K & Pearce W (2022) (pp. 1-10). Bristol University Press
  • Martin P, Saille SD, Liddiard K & Pearce W (2022) (pp. 147-155). Bristol University Press
  • Liddiard K, Runswick-Cole K, Goodley D, Spurr R, Whitney S, Vogelmann E, Watts MBE L & Evans K (2022) , Being Human During COVID-19 (pp. 60-66). Policy Press
  • Liddiard K, Runswick-Cole K, Goodley D, Spurr R, Whitney S, Vogelmann E, Watts L & Evans K (2022) , Being Human During COVID-19 (pp. 60-66). Bristol University Press
  • Martin P, Saille SD, Liddiard K & Pearce W (2022) , Being Human During COVID-19 (pp. 1-10). Policy Press
  • Martin P, de Saille S, Liddiard K & Pearce W (2022) , Being Human During COVID-19 (pp. 1-10). Bristol University Press
  • Martin P, Saille SD, Liddiard K & Pearce W (2022) , Being Human During COVID-19 (pp. 147-155). Policy Press
  • Martin P, Saille SD, Liddiard K & Pearce W (2022) , Being Human During COVID-19 (pp. 147-155). Bristol University Press
  • Liddiard K & Mbe LW (2022) Co-production, participatory and emancipatory disability research, Living Life to the Fullest Disability Youth and Voice (pp. 25-42).
  • Goodley D, Liddiard K, Runswick-Cole K, Watts L, Whitney S, Dobbin H & Moss C (2022) , Palgrave Handbook of Critical Posthumanism (pp. 1-30). Springer International Publishing
  • Vicari S & Yang Z (2022) Humans, COVID- 19 and Platform Societies, Being Human During Covid 19 (pp. 36-43).
  • Williams R (2022) 鈥淚鈥檝e Got People鈥檚 Spit All over Me!鈥: Reflections on the Future of Life- Saving Stem Cell Donor Recruitment, Being Human During Covid 19 (pp. 100-107).
  • Martin P, de Saille S, Liddiard K & Pearce W (2022) Marginalized Humans, BEING HUMAN DURING COVID-19 (pp. 51-51).
  • Martin P, de Saille S, Liddiard K & Pearce W (2022) Knowing Humans, BEING HUMAN DURING COVID-19 (pp. 11-11).
  • Martin P, de Saille S, Liddiard K & Pearce W (2022) Human Futures, BEING HUMAN DURING COVID-19 (pp. 115-115).
  • Martin P, de Saille S, Liddiard K & Pearce W (2022) Biosocial Humans, BEING HUMAN DURING COVID-19 (pp. 83-83).
  • Martin P, de Saille S, Liddiard K & Pearce W (2022) BEING HUMAN DURING COVID-19 Introduction, BEING HUMAN DURING COVID-19 (pp. 1-9).
  • Liddiard K (2020) , The Routledge Handbook of Disability and Sexuality (pp. 39-52). Routledge
  • Goodley D, Lawthom R, Liddiard K & Runswick-Cole K (2019) , The Palgrave Handbook of Disability and Citizenship in the Global South (pp. 211-222). Springer International Publishing
  • Goodley D, Lawthom R, Liddiard K & Runswick-Cole K (2018) POSTHUMAN DISABILITY AND DISHUMAN STUDIES, Posthuman Glossary (pp. 342-345).
  • Jones L & Liddiard K (2018) , The Palgrave Handbook of Disabled Children鈥檚 Childhood Studies (pp. 389-408). Palgrave Macmillan UK
  • Goodley D, Lawthom R, Liddiard K & Cole KR (2017) , The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Social Psychology (pp. 491-505). Palgrave Macmillan UK
  • () In Ellis K, Garland-Thomson R, Kent M & Robertson R (Ed.) Routledge
  • () In Thomas GM & Sakellariou D (Ed.) Routledge

Digital content

  • Mishra A, White L & Liddiard K Participatory research poses challenges to postgraduate researchers 鈥 here鈥檚 how we鈥檙e tackling the issue.
  • White L, Liddiard K & Goodley D On building trust: Co-producing what it means to be trustworthy.

Dictionary or encyclopaedia entries

  • Runswick-Cole K, Goodley D & Liddiard K (2023) . In International Encyclopedia of Education(Fourth Edition) Elsevier.
  • Liddiard K & Goodley D (2017) . In The Wiley-Blackwell encyclopedia of social theory Wiley-Blackwell.

Preprints

  • White L, Picardi C, Paterson C, Towsend B, Wang J, Buxton A, Hallam-Bowles S, Liddiard K, Law J, Calinescu R & Goodley D (2023) , Center for Open Science.
  • Daly A, Heah R & Liddiard K () .
Research group

Critical Disability Studies Research Cluster

Grants

 Wellcome Trust Discovery Award (2024-2028) (拢1,597,746; Principal Investigator) Cripping Breath: Towards a new cultural politics of respiration; 2. Wellcome Trust Institutional Funding for Research Culture (IFRC) Award (2024-2026) (拢1,007,109; Academic Lead) Wellcome Anti-Ableist Research Culture (WAARC); 3. Research England (Various applications: 拢70,000+: Principal Investigator and co-investigator) The Participatory Research Network at the 爆料TV 

Teaching interests

Kirsty invites all forms of doctoral supervision (PhD, EdD and DEdCPsy) in the areas of disability and chronic illness, D/deaf Studies, gender and sexuality studies, academic ableism and participatory research and co-production. Kirsty has an interest in and promotes accessible pedagogies within doctoral supervision. For example, she has introduced a number of innovative interventions designed to address forms of ableism and disablism within the doctoral process and culture, such as viva accessibility plans, and has co-designed forms of accessible and inclusive support for doctoral students in the School of Education. If you would like to discuss the possibility of undertaking doctoral research under Kirsty's supervision, please get in touch.

Professional activities and memberships

Kirsty is an Executive Editor of the International Journal of Disability and Social Justice, a leading Diamond Open Access journal (Pluto). She also sits on the Wellcome Trust鈥檚 Advisory Board for Arts and Humanities reviewing inter/national application submissions in order to shortlist applicants for interview. More recently, she has joined the Board of Trustees for Pathfinders Neuromuscular Alliance (PNA) and now works with disability arts organisation Touretteshero on its Knowledge for Change Guiding Group, made up of key thinkers on disability issues from around the UK.