Audrey Yong is a Senior Lecturer in Occupational Therapy and Practice Learning Leader for the MSc pre-registration Occupational Therapy course in the School of Sport and Health Sciences at University of Brighton.
Audrey's research interests stems from her experience as a clinical specialist working in partnership with learning/intellectually disabled people who have complex health and social care needs, and their family caregivers. Her previous research focused on how people, with dementia, and their carergivers are supported. This focused on the occupational impact on their lives and how they and their loved ones could be better supported through the ‘dementia trajectory’ process.
Audrey is currently working toward her PhD by Publication, which amalgamates her previous clinical knowledge and experience with her personal interest in the concepts of humanising and empathic home designing (designing that puts the person in the centre and can evoke emotion, capture attention; and influence sensation and wellbeing). This considers the humanistic and sensory influence of home environment designing and how this may affect one's feelings and participation in order to thrive and flourish in that space. Her research aims to increase the understanding of the potential occupational therapy role and contribution to this area. She is particularly interested in how the designing of humanistic and safe home environments can effect the lives of intellectually disabled people. Her research will explore perspectives from occupational therapists, intellectually disabled people and their carers/care providers; and contribute to the 'Building the Right Support (2022), a national programme aimed at supporting intellectually disabled people to have equal rights and opportunities to a safe, healthy and sustainable quality of life in their homes and communities.
In 2023, Audrey was awarded the Royal College of Occupational therapists Research Career Development grant to support the following research study: The occupational therapy contribution to good home environment design to support the participation and wellbeing of intellectual disabled people.
Audrey's research supervisory interests include (though not limited to):
- The role and contribution of occupational therapy to humanistic and empathic home environment designing.
- The importance and influence of the home environment (in relation to concepts of 'doing, being, becoming, belonging').
- Human rights and occupational justice for marginalised people.
- Learning or intellectual disabilities.
- Sensory integration and processing.
- Dementia and family caregiving.
- Conducting a systematic or scoping review as research method.
- Qualitative research.
You can find out more about Audrey's teaching and research here.