Sharron Sturgess

Overview

Sharron is a Student Success Officer for Inclusion and Belonging in the new Student Success Centre at Ulster University. Sharron was awarded a BA in History and Politics from the University of Leicester.  She went on to complete a PGCE in secondary History and became a humanities teacher undertaking a year teaching in Chicago on a Fulbright Scholarship.

After a decade in teaching Sharron moved to Loughborough University to work as a Student Adviser for disabled students, progressing to managing the disability service.  At the same time Sharron began to specialise in autism moving to the University of Leicester in 2015 to work as their autism specialist.  She achieved a PGCert in Asperger syndrome in 2012 and a MA in Education (Autism) in 2018. Her MA dissertation looked at the development of good practice principles to support autistic students to work with their peers for which she received the course directors prize.

In 2015 Sharron became an accredited member of NADP (National Association of Disability Practitioners) and in 2019 an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She has an academic interest in Universal Design for Learning and how this can be utilised to support disabled and neurodivergent learners.  Sharron is currently undertaking an EdD.  Her thesis examines social support at University for autistic students, focussing on their use of social spaces and places with a view to making recommendations for how universities can enhance the inclusion and belonging of all students by utilising the social spaces they offer.