The COVID-19 pandemic was tough on everyone. But there is evidence that the career progress of certain groups of researchers was hindered more than others, such as women, those with a disability, caring responsibilities and/or those from an ethnically minoritised group. We called the project DISCOVerY – for Disabled, Covid and Equality.  

We are a team of multidisciplinary researchers at London South Bank University and we are funded by the UK Research and Innovation funding scheme. We are studying the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the career progress of researchers with a disability who are also minoritised by race, gender and caring responsibilities. By using an intersectional approach, we hope to understand the factors that help or hinder minoritised researchers in their career progress, how the COVID-19 pandemic affected them, and gain insights into how best to ensure that these researchers thrive in academic research and in their careers.  

We plan to produce a series of recommendations and a toolkit for Universities and Research Institute policymakers that they could integrate into their Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy and other strategies in research and innovation, which will enable disabled people with additional minoritised characteristics to reach their potential and succeed. 

Hundred and twenty-eight participants from research and academic institutions across UK completed the survey. Preliminary analyses reveal that:

• Researchers with sensory impairments or multiple disabilities perceived receiving more support during the COVID pandemic than researchers who were not disabled. 

• Among disabled researchers, greater perceived support from the institution predicts having a greater sense of career progress. 

• Racially minoritized researchers perceive more benefits of research support than non-British White researchers. Among racially minoritized researchers, seeking career guidance and choosing a career in research because of the stability it offered predicts having a greater sense of career progress. 

• Among White researchers, receiving institutional support and perceiving the benefits of support with research predicts having a greater sense of career progress. 

• Among women and among those with caring responsibilities, the type of employment contract predicts having a greater sense of career progress

Interviews: 

17 participants who identify as disabled the online survey took part in an online interview about their lived experience of their career progress following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impact Acceleration Taskforce: We have formed a consortium of stakeholders, e.g., Heads of Policy, members of Senior management and EDI champions at London South Bank University and Academic and Research Institutions in the UK.