Conference
10th September 2025
‘Meaningfully Involving People with Learning Disabilities in Research’
Graphic created by Orla Borsey.
On 10 September 2025, the DECODE Project welcomed colleagues to Loughborough University for an afternoon of sharing and reflection on “Meaningfully Including People with Learning Disabilities in Research”. The event opened with Jean Knight, Deputy Chief Executive of Leicestershire Partnerships NHS Trust, followed by contributions from Paul Donnelly and Ciara Lawrence of MENCAP on communications and inclusion and Nikki Harrison from the Makaton Charity, who shared insights on involvement in the DECODE animation. Members of the DECODE team and public contributors reflected on learnings from their journeys so far – not just through research but through the inclusive approaches that makes this work possible.
A highlight of the afternoon was the launch of DECODE’s accessible resources, including animations and infographics, which were developed to support meaningful inclusion in health research. Attendees provided valuable feedback on how these can be used in real-world settings, helping shape their impact beyond the project.
World Café
Wednesday 18 September 2024
Loughborough University Stadium, Holywell Park, Loughborough University
The DECODE team hosted a World Café event bringing together researchers, clinicians, carers, and experts-by-experience to explore an important question: How could artificial intelligence (AI) improve care for people with learning disabilities?
This final dissemination event provided an opportunity to share our research findings and invite participants to help evaluate how this new evidence could be used to improve real-world care.
Event Highlights
Big data and artificial intelligence
A series of short talks chaired by Dr Satheesh Gangadharan, featuring Professor Thomas Jun, Professor Francesco Zaccardi, Dr Rania Kousovista, and Dr Emeka Abakasanga, who presented the latest insights revealed through AI analysis of large-scale health records.
Communicating our data
Chaired by Professor Thomas Jun, this session featured Dr Navjot Kaur and Dr Alison Drewett, who shared the results of a co-production process to make complex data accessible to clinicians, carers, and people with learning disabilities.
Our award-winning PPI
Led by Dr Satheesh Gangadharan, this discussion highlighted contributions from Sarah Rabbitte (LD nurse), Amy Wilkins (SALT), and our experts-by-experience — demonstrating the essential role of patient and public involvement in shaping meaningful research.
Putting our research into practice
Dr Ellie Harvey presented the outcomes of co-design workshops that developed practical ‘use cases’ aimed at improving how care is delivered based on DECODE research findings.
World Café Workshop
The event concluded with a two-hour interactive workshop where participants evaluated the ethics and feasibility of our proposed use cases, dashboard, infographics, and animation. Attendees contributed invaluable insights into how these tools could support more inclusive and effective care.
Internal Away Day
19 September 2023
School of Design and Creative Arts, Loughborough University
The DECODE team came together for an in-person away day – a great opportunity to connect, share progress and reflect on our learning across all work packages. Throughout the day, team members presented updates, explored emerging findings and took part in round-table discussions that helped shape priorities for the next phase of the project.
The session provided valuable space for collaboration, problem-solving and planning, strengthening our shared approach to inclusive and impactful research.
Team workshop
21 November 2022
Burleigh Court, Loughborough University
