Once a year as part of our PhD studies, researchers at the Faculty of Health and Life Science's Department of Public Health and Sports Science are encouraged to present our current progress to the wider research community. Last year as a first year PhD researcher I created an academic poster that outlined my aims and methodology. This year I was asked to present a Lightning Talk. This is a type of presentation that is meant to be short in length, provides an overview of the topic and portrays your message in a clear concise, engaged way. In this case, the brief was to present "for a maximum of 10 mins... followed by 5 mins for Questions & Answers".
As someone who has never spent much time in full-time academia in a traditional sense, the workings of academic life still baffle me. In my first degree and Master's degree I studied part-time on block release where one week a month I would attend university but the other three weeks I would be in the clinic working with patients... Without doubt, studying this way was incredibly enriching; building clinical knowledge by listening and learning from people with lived experience of the conditions one week, and then perhaps studying those conditions in more depth the next month... I have attended (and presented) at many commercial and professional conferences over the years but navigating the workings of an academic conference still feels a bit 'mystical'.
So having never heard of Lightning Talks before I had a quick browse on the internet to see what was involved and came across this really helpful article on the Nature website: Lightning talks: science in 5 minutes or less (nature.com). In the article, Chris Woolston talks about the pitfalls of trying to adjust or shorten a previous presentation, as well as using over-complicated slides. As someone who started giving presentations in the 1990s when the 'high-tech option' of using acetate sheets and an overhead projector was 'de rigueur' the main technical worry about giving a presentation in those days was whether the projector bulb would blow halfway through or that the slides would get smudged. During a recent clear-out of paperwork I found some of the old slides that I used in a presentation which I gave as part of our Audiology department's successful bid to be one of the first hospitals in the South West to carry out Bone Anchored Hearing Aid surgery and fitting. Here is a hand-drawn picture of the abutment screw which was one of the 'slides':
With the advance of PowerPoint, we have got sucked into a certain way of presenting which encourages us to stare at the screen rather than making eye contact with the audience. With the opportunities that the increased use and associated accessibility of online meetings, PowerPoint is undoubtedly an incredibly useful tool, but sometimes it feels as though I spend ages agonising over fonts and layout rather than really dwelling on the key messages that I want each slide to convey.
So when I heard from the organisers that the Lightning talk would not be online and in-person only, I thought I would minimise the use of PowerPoint slides, by only using three slides and by using a variety of physical objects that I have been creating over the last 18 months. These objects have been a way for me to articulate and reflect on my learnings. (You might like to check out my previous post, which explains how I have used creative methods to communicate nature recovery messages in our community). So because the Lightning talk was not recorded or available online I thought I would share some photos and context here, for those who would like to know more:
First PowerPoint slide: title page
Exhibit 1. Wooden knot depicting the Aims of the study: "Drawing on critical disability studies, disability justice and environmental justice scholarship, this PhD aims to explore how growing efforts to make space for urban nature – be it in urban parks, community gardens, nature reserves, woodlands or less formal nature settings – could influence the nature experiences of disabled people. The project will explore how urban nature policies and decision-making frameworks shape experiences of and responses to urban nature settings amongst residents with varied experiences and histories of disability".
Second PowerPoint slide: Research Questions
Exhibit 2. Viewpoint to Equity Transition.
There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that time spent in and with urban nature can benefit people’s health and well-being. Urban greenspace is deemed specifically important as a relatively cost-efficient and accessible health and social intervention for people within their own communities. However, it remains unclear whether: (a) these benefits can be fully realised by all members of the community, including disabled people; and (b) how these benefits may arise through the varied forms of urban nature that people may encounter. Health inequities are complex and by solely focusing on the medicalised model of disability can miss the myriad of other factors and barriers that can influence how disabled people are able to experience urban nature. This PhD will therefore consider policies that impact health inequities and urban nature in a wider context.
Exhibit 3. The Three Ps of the Rationale of my PhD.
This PhD will explore which policies impact disabled people and urban nature. Who is involved in making these policies and what are their impacts? This PhD will examine whether and how disabled people are involved in the co-design, planning and implementation of urban nature settings. How do disabled people perceive and interact with varied forms of urban nature, and how does this impact their lives in potentially positive and negative ways? Existing research has identified several barriers to accessing nature (urban and rural) amongst disabled people. These barriers can be broadly characterised as physical, informational, financial, social, and emotional barriers. This PhD aims to conceptualise how disability and environmental justice could be embedded in efforts to promote inclusive nature access in ways that recognise human diversity as an integral dimension of biodiversity. How can accessible paths be built so that they protect and enhance biodiversity?
Image credit: Cara Patel
Exhibit 4. Case Study Area- Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole (BCP).
A bucket and flag were used to depict that the case study area of BCP has areas of green space and blue space. The area has been identified as having health inequities with often neighbouring areas having different socio-economic conditions that might impact how communities interact with urban nature. I put each coat of arms of the towns of Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole on the flag... interestingly during this process I noted that each coat of arms depicts an element of nature that each town is renowned for:
Bournemouth's crest consists of four English Roses surmounted by a pine tree, symbolising the town's gardens and parks.
On Christchurch's crest the confluence of the Rivers Avon and Stour are represented. The salmon on the chevron show the importance of the ancient fishing industry, and two lions rest their hind paws on tree stumps, to show the proximity of the New Forest.
Poole's coat of arms depicts a dolphin and the waves, highlighting the importance of the seascape to the town, where green space and blue space meet.
Exhibit 5. The Strands of Methodology.
The qualitative ethnographic case study is made up of three strands. Strand 1 Documentary Analysis. Strand 2 Key Informant Interviews and Strand 3 is split in two; Lived experience of disability semi-structured interviews and lived experience of disability Go-Along Interviews.
Exhibit 6. Positionality in Qualitative Research.
Qualitative research requires reflection on how my personal lived experience, assumptions and privilege as a researcher may impact the research. Here I created a 'wordsearch' of influence.
Exhibit 7. Grey squirrel skull and bark shavings
Having nature in urban spaces can create conflict. Grey squirrels have found a home in urban spaces and many people enjoy watching and interacting with them. However grey squirrels are non-native and are known to strip bark from trees which will thwart efforts to increase tree canopy cover. This is just an example of how different people may experience nature differently and with space in urban areas under pressure from competing interests, how nature finds a home in urban environments can be widely contested.
Image Credit: Cara Patel
Exhibit 8. Percy the Peregrine Falcon.
Percy the soft toy peregrine was used to explain how iconic and awe-inspiring species, such as peregrines, ospreys and white-tailed eagles are finding homes in urban spaces in BCP. Do local communities notice these species returning? How do they interact with them? With peregrines using the local supermarket and the prime real-estate site of the Barclays building (as shown in the second PowerPoint slide) how land is used by these species when humans may have different ideas for its use will be explored.
Exhibit 9. The chain of Access.
This was based on the Sensory Trust's Access Chain inclusive design tool. The Access Chain outlines all of the steps that are need for a person to have a successful visitor experience. There are 4 main links in the chain:
Decision to visit
Journey and arrival
On-site experience
Return home So with this item, I used it to talk about the factors that may influence how people are able to access urban nature, as well as the barriers that exist which might impact that experience.
Exhibit 10. Models of disability.
This plaque has two sides. One side explains the medical model of disability whilst the other side depicts the social model of disability. I discussed this before in a blog post last year. Although time was limited I felt that it was important in my lightning talk to reference the different ways that disability can be conceptualised, this is particularly important in the context of being in a University's Medical School as there is often tension around 'diagnosis' and individualising health conditions without considering social barriers faced by people with lived experience of disability.
Exhibit 11. The Disability Justice Tree.
I created this wooden plaque to depict the ten principles of Disability Justice. Disability Justice is a social justice movement that examines disability and ableism as they relate to other forms of oppression and identity, such as race, class, gender and sexuality. Disability Justice was conceived by queer, disabled women of colour. I discussed that my PhD will reflect on how Disability Justice intersects with Environmental Justice, but also how this has led me to the Eco-crip literature and writings by critical disability scholars such as Alison Kafer, Eli Clare, Sunaura Taylor and Sarah Jaquette Ray. I also reflected that these teachings have influenced my thinking outside of my PhD, in how I conceptualise and frame Rewilding and nature recovery.
Final PowerPoint slide. Questions & Acknowledgements.
Image credit: Cara Patel Image credit: Gavin Buckingham
The conference was a great opportunity to meet other researchers working in the Faculty, and to hear about the huge range of fantastic research that is being undertaken; from stress fractures in Royal Marine recruits, anti-microbial resistance, to using Virtual Reality to improve grip strength. I also had the opportunity to have a lively discussion about the ethics of VR, and the use of alternative realities to supplement or replace access to nature.
At the end of the day, I was really surprised and delighted to be awarded first prize in the Lightning Talks. Sometimes it can be beneficial to be a mature student, who has no pre-conceived awareness of expectations or worries around the pressures of academic culture. I am also lucky to have three very supportive supervisors who allow me the space and freedom to be creative and trust me to "deliver' in my own way.
The fact that other researchers came up to me at the end of the conference, and said they would be keen to try to use alternative creative communication methods and to venture away from the podium and laptop, was really heartening. I look forward to next year's conference!
