Shortform CV

• BSc Information Technology and Psycho-Social Studies
• MA Multimedia Technologies Theories and Practice

Gosia joined the University of East London in 2002 and lectured for the School of Social Sciences, Media and Cultural Studies in Information Technology, Database and Systems Design. She joined the Rix Centre in 2004 where she assumed responsibility for Multimedia Advocacy Courses Development. She now lectures in Multimedia Advocacy for the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of East London and provides training to external organisations within social care sector.

Gosia has an overarching management responsibility for research and teaching provision at the Rix Centre. She leads on the delivery of the Centre's research, teaching and learning activities and project manages a range of courses and projects. Gosia leads on the development of distance and blended learning packages, their delivery, evaluation and refinement in partnership with students of various abilities.

Her specialist research interests are the theory and practice of Multimedia Advocacy, non-verbal communication, advocacy, learning and teaching, especially with the application of web technology. Gosia is also interested in systems design and organisational change and often leads on projects that involve implementation of Multimedia Advocacy Approach within organisations.

• Social Work

• PSM402 - Law and Social Justice
• PSS3320 - People with Learning Disabilities: Policy and Practice - A Social Perspective
• PSS3327 - People with Learning Disabilities - Post Qualifying Module
• MS0600 - Introduction to Multimedia Advocacy
• MS1600 - Multimedia Advocacy Theory and Practice

Gosia project manages a range of Multimedia Advocacy courses and leads on a number of research projects. Currently she works on the following projects:

• Mencap's Involve Me project - pilot action research with Eastway Care Provider. This project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of multimedia technologies in involving people with profound and multiple learning disabilities in decision making.
• Implementation of Multimedia Advocacy for Family Mosaic - residential care provider in Essex;
• Multimedia Advocacy for Mental Health - SCIE project - www.thebigtree.org/mental-capacity
• Symbol Surfing - an exploratory pilot study to explore the potential of symbols used for surfing the Internet with people with profound and multiple learning disabilities. www.thebigtree.org/symbol-surfing

Past research include: a national project for Age Concern for England on “Social Exclusion of Older People Lacking Mental Capacity”. Multimedia Advocacy Pilot Programmes for national housing and social care providers East Thames Group and RCHL. Tower Hamlets - Community Learning Disability Team - Health Action Planning Project - Implementation of Multimedia Health Action Plans within health services in Tower Hamlets.

Early this year Gosia used multimedia to facilitate inclusive research with people with learning disabilities for the National SEN Hub and Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust; deploying new media to enable research participants to articulate their first hand experiences and perspectives on inclusive education strategies and primary care provision respectively.

• Gosia was a key contributor to the Social Care Institute for Excellence Knowledge Review on ‘Personalisation and learning disabilities: A review of evidence on advocacy and its practice for people with learning disabilities and high support needs’ (SCIE Report 24, October 2009)

Presenting at various conferences:

• June 2010 - Penhurst School for People with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities Conference - "Application of Multimedia Advocacy for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities".
• March 2010 - Dartington Hall Social Research Unit Seminar - "Implementation of Multimedia Advocacy across Robert Owen Communities in Devon".
• July 2009 - 11th UK Joint Social Work Education Conference with the 3rd UK Social Work Research Conference - Co-presenting with Robert Johns and colleagues from the City University "Involving carers as co-educators in inter-professional education: three years of an inter-professional programme with nursing, speech and language and social work students".
• October 2008 - My New Media Life Conference at British Museum - "Multimedia Health Action Planning - A pilot study with Tower Hamlets Community Learning Disability Team".

Multimedia Advocacy approach can offer exciting new opportunities for people with learning disabilities and services great benefits. Organisations need to embrace changes to incorporate multimedia advocacy approach into their day to day service provision, care and support and staff training. Organisations often explain that it is difficult to adopt multimedia advocacy approach due to shortage of resources such as time and access to technology. In practice a significant obstacle is often the resistance of middle management to the re-organisation of their services to embed this practice into routine support. Broadly we have observed that the most significant challenge that multimedia advocacy practice presents, for organisations and individual professionals is a handing over of control to service users. This remains a worthy ideal but one that demands substantive cultural change for most care-providing organisations. (SCIE Report 24, October 2009)

• www.rixcentre.org
• www.thebigtree.org