ESRC fellowship for autism inclusion research

Dr Melisa Porter, from The Open University's School of Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport (ECYS), has secured £94,578 from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) through the Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership Postdoctoral Fellowship scheme.

The project, Strengthening Autism Inclusion in Jamaican Education: From Research to Practice, builds on Dr Porter’s doctoral research on teachers’ classroom practice in including autistic pupils in mainstream Jamaican primary schools.

The fellowship will translate findings from this research into contextually relevant approaches to strengthening autism-inclusive education. It will examine the inclusive practices teachers use to foster participation, belonging and learning, while also identifying the wider systemic and contextual barriers that can affect educational equity. Particular attention will be given to the socially and culturally responsive strategies developed within Jamaican schools, recognising the importance of locally grounded knowledge and practice to support diverse learners in their classrooms.

By translating research into practical insights, the project aims to strengthen understanding of effective inclusive education and support efforts to improve outcomes for children with autism and other learning difficulties in Jamaica, offering wider insights for education systems facing similar challenges.