Alys Young

Professor Alys Young holds the position of Professor of Social Work Education and Research at the University of Manchester's Division of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work. She is also the founder and co-director of the Social Research with Deaf People (SORD) group and a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Her work focuses on improving services for deaf individuals and families, with a particular emphasis on early intervention, healthcare equity, and research methodologies in signed languages. Key roles include Senior Fellow of the NIHR School for Social Care Research and former Academic Lead for Disability Equality at the University of Manchester.

Education: PhD in Deaf Studies (University of Bristol, 1995); MSc Applied Social Studies (University of Oxford, 1989); BA Hons. English Literature (University of Cambridge, 1986).

Research Interests:

• Deaf children and family dynamics
• Health/social care service improvements
• Methodologies for signed language research
• Deaf people with dementia

Awards:

• Times Higher Education Award for Outstanding Research Supervisor (2016)
• Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 (2022)
• Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS)

Grants/Projects: Over 50 projects funded by NIHR, Alzheimer's Society, and others. Notable initiatives include the READY Study (longitudinal study of deaf youth) and the INForMHAA project (mental health assessments).

Labs/Teams: Leads the multidisciplinary SORD research group, collaborating with global partners like Heriot-Watt University and the University of Witwatersrand.