Dr Lorna Rouse

I am a Research Associate in the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies currently supporting DAPPLE, an NIHR project exploring models of palliative and end of life care for people with learning disabilities. Previously I worked as a Research Associate for the Victoria and Stuart project, conducting a rapid scoping review of existing End of Life Care Planning resources for people with learning disabilities End Of Life Care Planning | The Victoria And Stuart Project.

I completed my PhD with the Open University on the social construction of quality diabetes care appointments in primary care by adults with learning disabilities, their supporters and healthcare professionals. My MSc dissertation at Anglia Ruskin University explored the social construction of responsiblity for diabetes management by people with learning disabilities and those who support them.

As a Visiting Researcher I have supported multiple Open University projects within WELS and STEM, with a focus on conducting literature reviews and qualitative data analysis on health and social care related topics including: the role of self-advocacy groups in supporting the health and wellbeing of adults with learning disabilities during the coronavirus pandemic, the funding of self-advocacy groups for people with learning disabilities, cyber-victimisation of people with disabilities and long-term conditions, challenging reproductive injustice for women with learning disabilities and young mothers’ experiences in West Africa.

I am currently a member of the Open University's Social History of Learning Disability (SHLD) research group Social History of Learning Disability |and have supported the organisation of conferences for the SHLD and Learning Disability England. I formerly edited the Newsletter for the Open University Psychological Society and served as regional Chair running local events in Cambridge. During my PhD I served as an OUSA Appointed HREC Research Student on the University’s Human Research Ethics Committee.