Dr Stephen Thompson researches disability inclusion, participatory methodologies, education and sustainable development. He has worked across the disciplines of geography and international development since 2007.
He was the Principal Investigator of the Disability Inclusive Development Networks Coordination project, which involved working with ten international networks that were focused on disability inclusive arts and humanities research. He previously worked on two major UK Aid funded development projects – Inclusion Works and Inclusive Futures, which focused on disability inclusion in low-income contexts. In 2026 he led the editing of a special issue of the IDS Bulletin titled, ‘Building Disability Inclusive Futures’.
Stephen previously worked on the Knowledge and Evidence for Development programme, assisting the UK Government with evidence use and policy creation. He has particular geographical experience in Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Ethiopia, India, Uganda, Zambia, Namibia and Albania. His doctoral thesis focused on the social and economic impact of avoidable blindness and visual impairment in Mozambique.
Teaching
Stephen is the Co-Convenor of MA Development Studies and he lectures on participatory development, disability inclusive development, poverty, and research design. He is the School Research Ethics Officer and the School Investigating Officer for academic misconduct. He holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
PhD supervision
Stephen is available for supervising new researchers undertaking development studies PhDs focused on the themes of:
- Disability inclusion
- Inclusive education
- Tertiary education/Universities
- Marginalisation
- Participation
- Volunteering for development
- Blindness and visual impairment
