Dr Nafisa Mayat

I am passionate about making disability matters more visible through both education and practice. I have a specific interest in the intersections between disability and spirituality. More specifically, I am interested in the role of spirituality in the disability journey/experience. This area of focus is not included enough in disability studies discourse or within the broader curriculum despite the importance of spirituality towards developing a holistic understanding of the person and their experience of disability. I think spirituality has the potential to strengthen both disability education and practice. Furthermore, developing this aspect of the curriculum will create education and training opportunities for those who are interested in disability support such as families of persons with disabilities, faith-based organizations and spiritual leaders and professionals. My PhD focused on disability inclusion within the Muslim Ummah (community), a key finding was the unconscious exclusion that prevailed within the Muslim Ummah and the silence that accompanied this exclusion. The  need to reshape disability thinking through education is vital to visibilise this exclusion and identify the mechanisms that hinder full inclusion.

Qualifications:

PhD, Disability Studies.

ORCID ID: 0009-0003-6025-9487