Umeå Center for Disability Research

Further participators in the network are partners in the state, municipalities, county councils, the disability movement and others with an interest in research on disability and handicap.

Disability studies is a diverse research field that accommodates a variety of theoretical perspectives and methods. Disability Research implies that the relationship between disabled people and their environment is in focus. The aims are to:

• Conduct research and promote the long-term accumulation of knowledge about disability in different disciplines / fields of science.
• Transmit your research and interact with other stakeholders through the participation in courses, symposia, conferences.
• Ensure that external research funding to the university and promote the implementation of new recruitment of young researchers in disability studies.
• Support seminars and training courses in disability studies.
• Initiate, develop and participate in national and international cooperation in the disability field.
• Commit to a meaningful and constructive exchange of information with user interests, the disability movement and other activities in the Handicapped area.

Organization

Membership in the network can be obtained by researchers, teachers, graduate students at Umeå University and other researchers and practitioners in the disability field, as well as members of the disability movement. The Center is guided by a board that consists of members of different institutions or sciences at Umeå University, municipal representatives and representatives of Västerbotten County Council and the disability movement. The Center has no staff, but the Department of Social Work is the host institution.

Chairman of the Board is PhD, Head of Department, Lars Nordlander, Department of Social Work.

The head of the Center is PhD Veronica Lövgren, Department of Social Work

Other members are:

• Professor Lotta Wikström, Centre 
for Population Studies (CPS) & Historical, philosophical and religious studies
• Professor, MD, Mikael Sandlund, Department of Clinical Sciences, Psychiatry

• PhD, Kim Wickman, Department of Education


• PhD, Andreas Pettersson, Department of Law
• Business Manager, Anna-Karin Öhman, Västerbotten County Council

• Public Health strategist, Ann-Margrethe Iseklint, Umeå Municipality

• Abbas Haghjo, HSO, Disability Federation of cooperation organization