Ms Aga Kowalska

My journey with UWE begun three years ago, working as a Research Associate and Associate Lecturer, teaching across Psychology, Sociology and Criminology programmes.

My principal educational and research interests revolve around ASD and SEN, diversity, inclusive and exclusion practices with a particular regard to questions of intervention, monitoring, evaluation, and impact. Currently, I am also a PhD student at UWE exploring the ethical and legislative implications of head teachers' decisions to exclude children and young people with Autism diagnosis from mainstream education.

In my additional role as Co-Director of the Autism Independence charity for Education and Training (AI), I have been leading on developing the reach of the organisation's impact in BME and LPN contexts, with a particular current focus on the Somali and Eastern European communities in the South West. Currently, I am a grant holder working on project exploring the experiences of young people with Autism and learning differences in accessing the health and social services in Bristol (Autism Independence).

I am also voluntarily contributing to a range of educational boards and committees advising school SLTs' on principles concerning behaviour and inclusion policies; learning and teaching strategies and I actively contribute to the educational staff training events.

My personal and academic ambition is to further bridge the gap between academia and the general public. To this end, I am a keen events organiser, passionate about the prospects these provide for knowledge exchange, impact and capacity-building.