We are pleased to announce that the Quality and Outcomes of Person Centred Care Research Unit (QORU) at the PSSRU has agreed to offer a scholarship (up to £1200 towards home/EU tuition fees plus an additional £300 towards dissertation expenses) to a student who is studying or a Master’s programme, part-time, at the Tizard Centre. The scholarship will contribute to a student cognitively testing the adaptation of an existing Easy Read outcomes measure, the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT), for use in Rescon’s Lincus app with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
ASCOT (www.pssru.ac.uk/ascot) was developed by the PSSRU to measure the outcomes of social care for adults. It offers a suite of tools, including a new easy read version for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. ASCOT is being used internationally by researchers, policy makers and providers and was an impact case study for the wider school in the last REF.
Lincus (www.lincus.eu) is already being used across the UK by organisations for the self and shared care of people with learning disabilities, multiple and complex needs, diabetes and high blood pressure. It has been developed through a combination of academic research and coproduction with end users however has never been evaluated.
This is an exciting opportunity for some original research that involves working on a real world application of technology to support those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Criteria
o Applicants will already have been offered a place on a Master’s programme or be in the process of interviews.
o The scholarship will cover up to £1200 of home/EU tuition fees for any of the Master’s programmes at the Tizard Centre. Due to the nature of the research project, we can only offer this to a part-time student. It will also include an additional £300 towards dissertation expenses.
o In return, the award winner will complete their dissertation on cognitively testing the ASCOT-ER in Lincus with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
To Apply
Write a one page account describing:
a) Why is it important to give people with intellectual and developmental disabilities the opportunity to communicate how they feel about their quality of life?
b) What is cognitive testing and why is it important to include in a study like this?
c) How would you go about carrying out this research with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities?
o Email your one page account, with a covering email to: Dr Jill Bradshaw J.Bradshaw@kent.ac.uk by Monday 29th August 2016
Following receipt of your application you may then be invited to interview.