Areas of interest
- Multilingualism and inter-comprehension processes
- Inclusive teaching
- Intercultural competence and communication
- Audio-visual translation applied to language teaching
- Media accessibility for Blind and Deaf people
- Total Physical Response and Suggestopedia teaching methods
My pedagogical practice-based research focuses on multilingualism, intercultural communication, and inclusive teaching. I explore how emotions, memory, and language retention intersect in language learning, with particular attention to how authentic audio-visual materials support the development of speaking skills across diverse student cohorts.
As an audio-visual translator (audio description for the Blind and subtitles for the Deaf and hard of hearing), a qualified BSL signer (BSL Levels 1 and 2), and the Department’s lead for Disability Awareness, I work closely with the Deaf and Blind communities. My research compares signed and spoken language approaches in teacher training and investigates inclusive assessment methods, language-learning strategies across spoken and visual languages, and the role of audio description in enhancing accessibility in public spaces.
I also use audio description applied to language teaching to develop students’ reading, speaking, and writing skills. In addition, I co-lead EU-funded international projects (Poland, Latvia, Georgia, Moldova) that train educators and practitioners to become audio-visual translators and specialists in Deaf and Blind awareness.
Current Research Projects:
- Leading a collaborative research project with students as partners to align BSL assessment and marking criteria with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for visual languages, funded by the 51ϳԹ Endowment Fund.
- Developing British Sign Language (BSL) courses for higher education professionals and tailored Deaf and Blind Awareness workshops for 51ϳԹ staff and business developers.
- Analysing how the use of sign language can support students in the classroom, enhancing their productive skills and learning strategies in spoken foreign languages.
- Since 2024, designing extracurricular events for Languages for All BSL students to raise awareness of invisible disabilities and their perception in society.
More info:
- Developing and expanding the Languages for All first BSL Student-Led Club which offers students enrolled in optional BSL modules a space to practise signing outside class, boosting their confidence and understanding of the language.
More info:
- Leading collaborative partnership and interdisciplinary research with the School of Construction Management & Engineering to investigate the integration of audio description for enhanced wayfinding in commercial buildings.
- Leading a two-year international project aimed at improving access to social services for Deaf and Blind communities in Tbilisi, Georgia.
- Working as a Diversity and Inclusion trainer for the Erasmus-funded project Audio Description Against Exclusion with the Latvian Academy of Culture, promoting barrier-free access to cinema for the Blind community in Riga through the integration of audio description.
- Designing and delivering online training programmes for colleagues in public and private institutions in Moldova and Azerbaijan, aimed at equipping them to effectively assist students with invisible and specific learning disabilities.
Teaching
I teach and train staff and students over three subject areas: Italian and Spanish languages, Disability Awareness (Deafness and Blindness) and audio-visual translation and intercultural communication.
At 51ϳԹ, I teach and convene modules for the Languages for All and the Degree programmes in the Department of Languages and Cultures.
In addition, I work as a volunteer teacher of English for Refugees and Asylum Seekers both for the 51ϳԹ City of Sanctuary and an European NGO in Cyprus.
Modules taught and/or convened:
- IWLP Italian stages 1, 2, and 3
- IWLP Spanish stages 1 and 2
- IT3LMB (Degree programme)
- IT1L1, IT1L2 and IT1L3 Degree programme
In my role of Lead of Disability Awareness and audio-visual translator, I teach Blind and Deaf awareness tailored to the needs of the students in the following modules:
- IL1GICC1/2/3 Intercultural Competence and Communication – International Study and Language Institute (ISLI)
- CE3CE1 – Inclusive Environments – School of Built Environment (SBE)
- ED3BCD - Child Development – Institute of Education (IoE)
- ED3BRD – Representations of disability in drama and the arts (IoE)
- EN0CID – Changing identities- English Literature, School of Humanities
- TY2IB – Integrated Design Methods – Typography and Graphic Communication (TYP)
I also deliver regular training for staff across the Institution
- CQSD – Teaching and Learning Programme
- Events and Welcome teams
- Health and Safety Coordinators teams (incl. Fire Wardens and First Aiders)
- Admissions and Procurement teams
- RUSU officers (during the Disability month)
- Disability Advisory Service (DAS) and Student Services to help them support students with hearing impairments during recruitment events.
Previous roles in the Department of Languages and Cultures
- Departmental Director of Academic Tutoring (DDAT) for the Year Abroad
- IWLP French Language Lead
- IWLP Russian Language Lead
- IWLP Marketing Lead
- IWLP Student Recruitment Coordinator
- British Sign Language and Russian Internal Moderator
- IWLP Social Media Officer
Background
With over 20 years’ experience in teaching language and culture (Italian and Spanish), across higher education and private sectors, including adult and lifelong learning, I have worked in Italy, Poland, and Argentina before joining the 51ϳԹ in 2012. Since then, I have also taught Italian and Spanish evening and weekend courses at the University of Oxford.
I am a Lecturer in Italian and Spanish within the Department of Languages and Cultures (DLC), contributing to both Languages for All (LFA) and degree programmes. My teaching is grounded in educational innovation and a commitment to inclusivity, with a curriculum designed to embrace and reflect learner diversity.
As the Departmental Lead for Disability Awareness, I deliver University-wide training on invisible disabilities, with a particular focus on Deaf and Blind awareness. I collaborate across the institution to remove social, digital, institutional, and physical barriers to learning. With a background in audio-visual translation and as a British Sign Language user, I actively promote inclusive communication, BSL visibility, and disability awareness within and beyond the University, supporting students to become champions of accessibility.
Awards and honours
Selected awards and research funding
- 2024 – 51ϳԹ Endowment Fund: Leading a student partnership project with IWLP BSL learners to align BSL assessment and marking criteria with the CEFR for visual languages. Also supporting the development of the BSL Student-Led Club within the Languages for All programme.
- 2019 – 51ϳԹ Rewarding Excellence Award (SLL/DLC): Recognised for outstanding collaboration and demonstration of professional values in team working.
- 2019 – Diversity and Inclusion Fund: Competitive research funding awarded for the project: Inclusive Way Hackathon.Designing Everyday Wayfinding in Outdoor Public Environments.
- 2017 – Award for Outstanding Contribution: Acknowledged for the development of British Sign Language (BSL) modules within the Institution-Wide Language Programme (IWLP), funded by ISLI.
- 2017 – Diversity and Inclusion Fund: Contributor to the project: Supporting IWLP Students Living with Dyslexia to Learn Languages.
- 2016 – Award for Outstanding Contribution to Teaching Excellence: Presented by the Department of Modern Languages and European Studies (DMLES), 51ϳԹ.
Selected conferences and presentations
- Autonomous University of Barcelona, 2025, attending the 10th Advanced Research Seminar on Audio Description (ARSAD).
- University Ramon Llull, Barcelona, 2024, presenting the paper: Case study in aligning British Sign Language productive assessments to the CEFR at a UK HE institution.
- University of Warsaw 2024, Faculty of Modern Languages, presenting the paper: Designing inclusive assessment of visual languages in a multilingual HE environment. Lessons in comparing language learning strategies in spoken and visual languages.
- AULC University of Exeter 2024, attending the conference “New Directions for University-Wide Language Programmes: Challenges and Solutions in Innovation, Inclusivity and Community Building”, University of Exeter.
- University of Warsaw 2023, Faculty of Modern Languages, presenting the paper: Diversity and Inclusion in the language classroom. The use of Sign Language to support and develop productive skills in a foreign language for the Humanity Society Identity (HIS) Congress.
- 51ϳԹ “Innoconf, Shaping Futures for Modern Languages in Higher Education, 2021”, delivering the workshop: Changing Perspectives – Exploring our Students’ Views on Disability and Online Learning.
- University of Exeter, 2021 “Intercultural Competence and Foreign Language Learning in HE. Present and future directions”, delivering the workshop: Combining Signed and Spoken Language Studies: Tools for Language Teachers.
- University of Warsaw 2021, contributing to the Summer School for UG students of Italian delivering a cycle of workshops about Invisible Disabilities and Inclusive Teaching on the subject area “Mediazione linguistica e culturale tra l’Italia e la Polonia”.
- 51ϳԹ 2020, Co-leader of the Hackathon event – a cross-departmental project (SBE, Real Estate, Typography, Architecture and Modern Languages) about inclusive wayfinding and pedagogy.
- AULC London 2019, attending the conference “Linguistic transitions: towards languages for life”, King’s College.
- UK LINGUA 2019, attending the conference “Multilingual Language Learning and Teaching Colloquium”, University of Durham, U.K.
- Stockholm University 2019, presenting the paper Diversity and Inclusion in Language Teaching and delivering two workshops about “Deaf awareness and Blind awareness in language teaching” and “Audio Description applied to language teaching. Working out the four skills” for the Department of Language education.
- UK LINGUA, The University of Durham, 2017 co-presenting the paper Transitioning into the world of work: encouraging students to learn deeply and broadly to enhance independence and transferable skills.
- AULC Queen’s University of Belfast, 2017, co-presenting the paper Encouraging students to learn deeply and broadly: tools to enhance independence and transferrable skills in an IWLP Italian beginner module.
