I’m pleased to announce the publication of my new peer-reviewed article in the Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal (SEHEJ), co-authored with Lili Ly:
“Beyond voice: Re-imagining inclusion through a co-created project led by an autistic student” is rooted in my experience as student lead on a UCL ChangeMakers project. The work set out to redesign the postgraduate admissions interview process, but its wider significance lies in how it re-frames co-production and inclusion in higher education.
Why this matters
Too often, co-creation is treated as consultation: students are invited to contribute but within frameworks already defined by staff. Our project turned that model upside down. By placing autistic lived experience at the centre, we demonstrated that:
- Lived experience can be recognised as leadership, not only feedback.
- Inclusion works best when it is structural redesign, not just individual accommodation.
- Power must be intentionally shared between students and staff.
Outcomes and impact
The ChangeMakers project didn’t just result in a fairer interview process for postgraduate applicants. It showed how student-led co-creation can produce structural changes that benefit everyone. Clearer interview structures, advance access to questions, and more flexible formats improved the process for all candidates, not only neurodivergent ones.
This project offers a transferable model of inclusive practice: one where universities move beyond asking students to adapt, and instead adapt their systems to reflect diverse ways of communicating, thinking, and leading.
Acknowledgements
Huge thanks to UCL ChangeMakers, the Staff Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (SSEDI) group at UCL and Anna Freud, and to my co-author, Lili Ly, for their partnership and support.
Written by Kate Coldrick, an educator and inclusive learning specialist based in Woodbury near Exeter.