PhD Study : Placing the athlete in the centre: what are Visually-impaired athletes’ experiences of classification, and how can we improve it?

Apply and key information  

Summary

To ensure the integrity of Paralympic competition, a system of classification is used to ensure a level playing field between competitors.  For those with visual impairment (VI), individual sports federations are responsible for determining rules for classification, and historically, they have been based on the medical classification of visual impairment as identified by the World Health Organisation (WHO).   As such, visual measures for classification rely on clinical measurement of visual acuity and visual fields.  Medical approaches to VI sport classification create a status quo where decision-making rests with medical staff and not with the athletes.  A further issue is that it is widely recognised that the role and nature of visual capacity on sports performance is very different across sports, and that traditional clinical measures of vision do not translate to ‘real world’ situations.

This PhD will investigate the athletes’ lived experience of classification in visually impaired (VI) sport. While the nondisabled athlete is concerned with loss of form or injury, the Para athlete must also consider how changes in their level of impairment will affect their career. Therefore, an understanding of the athlete’s lived experience is required.  When examining this lived experience, a range of factors that influence classification’s impact on their careers will be discussed, with an aim to exploring how athlete-centred approaches could challenge the existing system. In addition to a comprehensive visual assessment encompassing contrast sensitivity and glare assessment as part of conventional visual function measurements, we plan to include dynamic visual acuity measures to reflect the vision-in-motion capability of athletes, explore both lighting variability and glare on performance, and conduct multiple-object tracking commensurate with the experiences of athletes with visual impairments when playing their sport. We will collect information on the origins of an individual’s VI, in terms of their eye condition, whether congenital or acquired, and their VI progression. This project will examine the experiences of blind and visually impaired athletes, both of the technical aspects of classification and the social implications of the procedure on their sporting careers.

The research team from the Centre for Optometry and Vision Science and the Sport & Exercise Science Research Institute at Ulster University have links with local and national associations to recruit an appropriate population for this PhD project across a range of sports. The external supervisor also has established links with para-athletes and is the Head of Optometry and Low vision services in the Belfast HSCT.  Finally, Kelly Gallagher brings direct experience as a winter para-Olympian gold medallist athlete with a visual impairment and is a key ambassador for the project.

AccessNI clearance required

Please note, the successful candidate will be required to obtain AccessNI clearance prior to registration due to the nature of the project.

Essential criteria

Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a subject relevant to the proposed area of study.

We may also consider applications from those who hold equivalent qualifications, for example, a Lower Second Class Honours Degree plus a Master’s Degree with Distinction.

In exceptional circumstances, the University may consider a portfolio of evidence from applicants who have appropriate professional experience which is equivalent to the learning outcomes of an Honours degree in lieu of academic qualifications.

  • Sound understanding of subject area as evidenced by a comprehensive research proposal

Desirable Criteria

If the University receives a large number of applicants for the project, the following desirable criteria may be applied to shortlist applicants for interview.

  • Completion of Masters at a level equivalent to commendation or distinction at Ulster
  • Experience using research methods or other approaches relevant to the subject domain
  • Work experience relevant to the proposed project
  • Publications - peer-reviewed
  • Publications record appropriate to career stage
  • Experience of presentation of research findings
  • A comprehensive and articulate personal statement
  • Use of personal initiative as evidenced by record of work above that normally expected at career stage.
  • Relevant professional qualification and/or a Degree in a Health or Health related area

Funding and eligibility

The University offers the following levels of support:

Vice Chancellors Research Studentship (VCRS)

The following scholarship options are available to applicants worldwide:

  • Full Award: (full-time tuition fees + £19,000 (tbc))
  • Part Award: (full-time tuition fees + £9,500)
  • Fees Only Award: (full-time tuition fees)

These scholarships will cover full-time PhD tuition fees for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance) and will provide a £900 per annum research training support grant (RTSG) to help support the PhD researcher.

Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Please note: you will automatically be entered into the competition for the Full Award, unless you state otherwise in your application.

Department for the Economy (DFE)

The scholarship will cover tuition fees at the Home rate and a maintenance allowance of £19,000 (tbc) per annum for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance).

This scholarship also comes with £900 per annum for three years as a research training support grant (RTSG) allocation to help support the PhD researcher.

  • Candidates with pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, who also satisfy a three year residency requirement in the UK prior to the start of the course for which a Studentship is held MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance.
  • Republic of Ireland (ROI) nationals who satisfy three years’ residency in the UK prior to the start of the course MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance (ROI nationals don’t need to have pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to qualify).
  • Other non-ROI EU applicants are ‘International’ are not eligible for this source of funding.
  • Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Due consideration should be given to financing your studies. Further information on cost of living

The Doctoral College at Ulster University

Key dates

Submission deadline
Friday 7 February 2020
12:00AM

Interview Date
9 to 20 March 2020

Preferred student start date
Mid September 2020

Applying

Apply Online  

Contact supervisor

Professor Julie-Anne Little

Other supervisors

  • Dr Paul Kitchin
  • Professor Jonathan Jackson, Head of Optometry, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust; Professor Brendan Barrett, Bradford University; Kelly Gallagher, Para-Olympian Gold Medalist Skiier