Sheila Coates Foundation Research Fellow Autism Centre for Education Research
Dr. Sarah Donald is an education researcher whose work focuses on autism, complex support needs, intellectual disability, and inclusive research practices. Her research interests include language and communication, participatory methodologies, research culture and ethics, marginalised groups, and Special Educational Needs.
She holds a PhD in Psychology from City University London, where her doctoral research employed participatory methods to develop more accessible and inclusive research practices for autistic people who are minimally verbal and/or have intellectual disabilities. She also holds an MSc in Speech, Language and Communication in Schools, a PGCE in Primary Education, and a BA (Hons) in Russian and History.
Dr. Donald has extensive professional experience across the education sector, including senior teaching roles in mainstream primary schools, specialist SEN settings, and higher education institutions involved in initial teacher training. She has also worked as a local authority specialist education advisor and is a long-standing school governor.
Currently, as the Sheila Coates Foundation Research Fellow at the Autism Centre for Education Research, she is leading a project examining the impact of sensory and safe spaces in mainstream secondary schools to better support autistic learners. She has also contributed as a Research Associate to an NIHR Applied Research Collaboration project developing a co-production community of practice to improve diversity in applied health research, and has recently been awarded QR research funding to lead a participatory study exploring young autistic people’s lived experiences of education.