I qualified from Addenbrooke’s School of Physiotherapy in 1982 and worked as a clinical physiotherapist in Derby and Birmingham, specialising in hydrotherapy. Moving into education has been a great experience; enabling me to contribute to the development of many cohorts of bright and enthusiastic allied health profession students. I have been in higher education, based in London, for over 20 years and during this time I have seen great changes in the ways in which students are prepared for the world of work.

For the last 20 years I have also been part of RNIB’s Physiotherapy Support Service, managing our Resource Centre at the University of East London. This has recently been rebranded as the Allied Health Professions Support Service – we support disabled students and qualified professionals during their education and employment (in Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Occupational Therapy, Dietetics and Speech and Language Therapy). This role has enabled me to build up an expertise in equality and diversity issues in general and disability issues in particular both within the allied health professions field and more widely within the university.

• Teaching on the following modules: Patient Centred Practice and Skills for Academic Learning, Introduction to Movement Science, Skilled Movement and Exercise Science, Neuromusculoskeletal Dysfunction – Anatomy, Pathology and Orthopaedics, Rheumatology, Hydrotherapy

• Management of AHPSS Resource Centre

• Management of AHPSS technician (0.6FTE)

• Supporting disabled allied health profession students in academic and practice based educational settings across the UK

• Support is provided to disabled physiotherapy/podiatry students at UEL - extra teaching sessions as requested, access to assistive technology, in-class support, and on-placement support. Non UEL AHP students have full access to the Centre and receive information about, training on and loan of, equipment

• Disability awareness training for students, practice based staff, academic staff in Higher Education Institutions across the UK

• Visual awareness consultation/disability training for outside bodies such as the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP)

• Consultancy on access to physiotherapy education for disabled students with colleagues in various countries including India, Switzerland, Sweden and Croatia.

• International links with a range of countries – dissemination of information relating to the highly regarded UK model of supporting disabled physiotherapy students and graduates

• Particular expertise in disability issues and supporting disabled students

• Anatomy, hydrotherapy, orthopaedics/rheumatology, professional issues, counselling

• BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy

• BSc (Hons) Podiatric Medicine

• Patient Centred Practice and Skills for Academic Learning, Introduction to Movement Science, Skilled Movement and Exercise Science, Neuromusculoskeletal Dysfunction

• Undertaking a Doctorate in Education at the Institute of Education, London. Proposal accepted for thesis: Experiences of Physiotherapy Practice Educators: Supporting Disabled Students (funded by RNIB’s Allied Health Professions Support Service)

•  Atkinson K A (2010) Transition from HE to NHS for visually impaired physiotherapists: an interpretative phenomenological exploration. An Institution Focussed Study. Institute of Education, London (funded by RNIB’s Allied Health Professions Support Service)

• Owen Hutchinson J S, Atkinson K A (2010) Into Physiotherapy: welcoming and supporting disabled students. RNIB and CSP, London

• External examiner Queen Margaret University Edinburgh, pre registration MSc in Physiotherapy
• Disability awareness training for students, practice based staff, academic staff in Higher Education Institutions across the UK
• Visual awareness consultation/disability training for outside bodies such as the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP)
• Consultancy on access to physiotherapy education for disabled students with colleagues in various countries including India, Switzerland, Sweden and Croatia.
• International links with a range of countries – dissemination of information relating to the highly regarded UK model of supporting disabled physiotherapy students and graduates

Presentations at recent meetings

Atkinson K A, Owen Hutchinson J S (2011) Welcoming and Supporting Disabled Students: a resource for academic and clinical staff in Allied Health Professions. Presented at LINK Conference, Antwerp, Belgium. July 2011

Atkinson K A, Owen Hutchinson J S (2011) Inclusive clinical education: myth or reality? Presented at AHEAD Conference, March 16th, University College, Dublin

Atkinson K A (2011) Institution Focussed study - From HE to NHS: the lived experience of transition to employment for visually impaired physiotherapists, Presented at EdD Student Conference, Institute of Education, London. March 12th 2011

Atkinson K A, Owen Hutchinson J S (2011) AHPSS: Service Developments and Current Research. Presented at RNIB’s Evidence and Service Impact Conference, Birmingham, March 9th and 10th 2011

Atkinson K A, Owen Hutchinson J S (2010) Allied Health Professions Support Service (RNIB), Stakeholder Event, London

Atkinson K. A. (2010) “My line manager has never asked me if I needed support…” Physiotherapists who have visual impairments: experiences of transition to employment, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Conference, Glasgow Caledonian University. September 17th/18th 2010

Atkinson K A, Owen Hutchinson J S (2010) Inclusive clinical education: myth or reality? Equality, Diversity and Inclusion conference, University of Economics and Business, Vienna. July 2010

Atkinson K. A. (2010) From HE to NHS: the lived experience of transition to employment for visually impaired physiotherapists – a work in progress, Institute of Education Doctoral School Summer Conference, London University. June 2010.

Other Professional Activities   

• June 2011 World Congress of Physical Therapy. Amsterdam, Netherlands
• November, 2010 SKILL: National Bureau for Disabled Students Annual Higher Education Conference, Leicester
• November 2010 Westminster briefing on implications of Single Equalities Act, London
• Member - CSP Quality Assurance and Enhancement Group (Chair of Qualifying Education sub group)
• Chair - CSP Equality and Diversity committee
• Member – Disability Alliance
• Member  -  Institute of Equality and Diversity Practitioners
• Member – National Association of Disability Practitioners
• Member - National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education
• Member UEL Equality and Diversity Committee – co opted for expertise in disability issues. Involved in policy development.
• Member UEL Disability Sub-committee
• UEL Extenuation Committee – involved in assessing students’ applications for extenuation in relation to examinations and other assessments.