Maryam Bandukda

Maryam is a research fellow working on Data and Evidence within GDI Hub’s flagship AT2030 research programme, where she leads the storytelling and community collaboration project. Maryam’s research focuses on developing the knowledge and tools necessary to promote disability advocacy and empower disabled people to tell their stories and self-advocate for their rights. In doing so, Maryam is also exploring the impact of stigma and the digital divide on disabled people’s participation in digital citizenship.

Maryam’s PhD research examined the agency and participation of blind and partially sighted people in open space leisure activities. Her research highlighted the value of experience sharing and the need for an accessible platform to enable blind and partially sighted people to share their travel and leisure experiences with others. Her PhD research led to the design of SenseMap, an accessible online platform to enable blind and partially sighted people to share their travel experiences. SenseMap was developed through funding awarded from the EPSRC Impact Acceleration and UCL Enterprise and Innovation.

Maryam's professional background is in Human-Computer Interaction and Computer Science. Prior to joining GDI Hub as a PhD student in 2017, Maryam worked as a Business Analyst and Project Manager for over 10 years in the United Kingdom and Pakistan.

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