Zoe Torsney
School of Education
Faculty of Arts Professional and Social Studies
Email: Z.V.Torsney@2023.ljmu.ac.uk
I am a second-year student on the Doctor of Education (EdD) programme at LJMU. I am affiliated with the Educational Psychology Research Group in the Liverpool Institute for Research in Education. For the past fifteen years I have been a Literacy and English teacher and lecturer, delivering Functional Skills and Literacy, EAL and EAP (English for Academic Purposes) in community, college and HE settings. I have a special interest in SEND, and mental health & well-being in education. I am an active campaigner in relation to inclusive education and co-produced SEND education reform.
My current focus is autism, the language we use when speaking / writing about autism and neurodivergence, and the experiences of CYP and their families in relation to the EHCP pathway. I approach my research questions both from the perspective of an educator and as a lived experience expert.
Languages
French
Degrees
University of Oxford, United Kingdom, Master of Arts, French & Linguistics
Academic appointments
Visiting Lecturer - English for Academic Purposes, Birmingham City University, 2020 - 2020
Visiting Lecturer - English for Academic Purposes, Birmingham City University, 2019 - 2019
Visiting Lecturer - English for Academic Purposes, University of Birmingham, 2015 - 2015
Visiting Lecturer - English for Academic Purposes, University of Birmingham, 2014 - 2014
Postgraduate training
Postgraduate Certificate - Autism, United Kingdom, Sheffield Hallam University, 2021 - 2022
Postgraduate Diploma in Education - Leadership & Management, United Kingdom, University of Derby, 2015 - 2018
Postgraduate Certificate in Education for Teachers of Adult Literacy, United Kingdom, University of Wolverhampton, 2008 - 2009
Internet publication
Torsney Z. 2025. Positive change for disabled researchers might need managing and leading Publisher Url
Torsney Z. 2024. (Too) late to the party? Doctoral research as a mature disabled parent-carer. Publisher Url
Report
Harper G, Featherstone C, Ostaszewska A, Roestorf A, Sterry R, Douglas S, Foster S, Gregory AM, Mareva S, Michlethwaite A, Nettleton-Burrows J, Thapar A, West N, Wilson C, Torsney Z. 2024. Reframing Assessment and Support :1-3 Publisher Url
Conference presentation:
Oral presentation, Heidelberg, Germany, The 4th Triennial Meeting of the International Alliance of Academies of Childhood Disability (IAACD) and the 37th Annual Meeting of the European Academy of Childhood-onset Disability (EACD), Powering up or powering through? Experiences of key adults supporting autistic children via an EHCP. 2025
Oral presentation, Online, UNICAF Master's Conference (UMC2024), Supporting autistic learners in mainstream educational settings. 2024
Poster presentation, Institute for Social Justice, York St John University / Spectrum First, Neurodiversity in Higher Education Conference, Powering up or powering through? Experiences of key adults supporting autistic children via an EHCP. 2024
Poster presentation, White Rose Disability Research Network, Anarchy & Activism: Disrupting Disability, Powering up or powering through? Experiences of key adults supporting autistic children via an EHCP. 2024
Poster presentation, Liverpool John Moores University, LJMU Postgraduate Research Festival 2024, Powering up or powering through? Experiences of key adults supporting autistic children via an EHCP. 2024
Other Professional Activity:
Member of the Disability Research Network (LJMU) from 2024. 2024
Member of the Embracing Complexity in Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Special Interest Research Group (SIRG). The Embracing Complexity in Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Special Interest Research Group (the SIRG) was formed in late 2020 for 12 months, with funding from the Emerging Minds Network at University of Oxford. The SIRG was facilitated by Embracing Complexity, a coalition of organisations supporting people with neurodevelopmental conditions. Embracing Complexity is managed by Autistica, the UK’s autism research charity. The SIRG provided a facilitated and protected space to work towards chosen objectives around mental health in children and young people with neurodevelopmental conditions (NDCs). It aimed to bring together expertise from people with NDCs, family members, professionals, and researchers.. 2021
Teaching qualification:
Postgraduate Certificate in Education for Teachers of Adult Literacy. 2009
Membership of professional bodies:
Society for Education & Training, Qualified Teacher Learning & Skills (QTLS).