Keynote Speakers - Hayley Fitzgerald

Hayley is a Professor of Disability Sport at Leeds Beckett University, England. Her research is underpinned by critical social research ‌in the field‌ ‌of ‌disability, ‌PE‌ ‌and‌ ‌youth‌ ‌sport. Over the past twenty years Hayley‌ ‌has been pivotal in ensuring national providers such as the Youth Sport Trust, Activity Alliance and County Sport Partnerships recognise the importance of engaging with young people experiencing disabilities. Through this work she has been at the forefront of developments associated with ‌supporting‌ ‌accessible‌ ‌and‌ ‌participatory‌ ‌research‌ ‌approaches. More recently, Hayley’s research has focused on the interrelationships between disability, gender, ethnicity and class, and how these intersections of identity inform the material experiences of PE and sport for different young people. She has written for academic and practitioner textbooks, developed and delivered educational resources to PE teachers and sport coaches, and has published widely in academic journals. Hayley is actively involved in teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students and believes their education is key to ensuring the next generation of PE and sports leaders promote inclusive opportunities for all. Prior to becoming an academic, Hayley‌ ‌‌worked‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌range‌ ‌of‌ ‌disability sport organisations including the Yorkshire Federation of Disability Sport, Bradford Sport and Recreation Associate for People with Disabilities, Gateway Clubs and special schools. Hayley has been a governor of a special school and is currently the Director of Unorthobox, a charity supporting people from all backgrounds to participate in ‘non-contact’ boxing.

Lecture Title: The Promise and Perils of ‘Intersectionality’: Considerations for APA Research and Practice

About her Lecture: It has long been recognised that the young people in our schools and PE classes are not all the same. Yet, the processes of ‘schooling’ do not always recognise this. As a result, less favourable and equitable experiences can be encountered. Intersectionality offers an invaluable lens to explore how power, privilege, inequalities and difference are (re)produced and maintained for groups historically marginalised and excluded within policy, practice and research. This keynote will invite the audience to consider how the notion of intersectionality can be worked with to make a difference to the PE and sporting experiences of young disabled people.