Dr Susie Miles teaches across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, and supervises doctoral students. Her teaching and research interests are focused on inclusive education, primarily in developing country contexts. She was the Associate Dean for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion for the Faculty of Humanities, 2019-2022.

She is the founding coordinator of the Enabling Education Network (EENET), established in 1997 as an information-sharing network which supports and promotes the inclusion of marginalised groups in education worldwide. Prior to joining the University, she worked as a teacher of deaf children, in the UK and in Swaziland, and as Save the Children UK's Regional Disability Adviser for Southern Africa, she was centrally involved in developing inclusive education and community based programmes with and for disabled people in seven African countries over a period of 12 years.

She has worked as a grant holder and consultant with a range of international organisations, including UNESCO, UNICEF, the UK Department for International Development, Save the Children (UK), Leonard Cheshire International, Handicap International and Deaf Child Worldwide.

Research Interests

Susie’s research has focused on the imbalance of power between the global North and global South in relation to the development of more equitable education opportunities for the most marginalised groups of children, and for disabled children in particular. What is distinctive about this work is that it has been possible to capture evidence of innovative inclusive practices in some of the economically poorest countries in the world. Through her work with the Enabling Education Network (EENET), which promotes the inclusion of marginalised groups in education worldwide, she developed an inclusive approach to networking as a way of challenging power relations and in order to support the co-production of community based knowledge in Southern countries.

Susie has two related research interests which complement her core research interest in special and inclusive education. The first is in the use of photography in researching injustice in educational settings internationally. Although the use of photography is increasing in educational research, there has been no explicit theoretical work which guides its use in relation to social justice, and herein lies the contribution. The second is in supplementary education in the UK which is under-researched and under-theorised, especially from learners’ perspectives.

Teaching

I am currently teaching on the MA in International Education and I lead on the optional course 'Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in International Education.

I supervise PhD students in the areas of refugee education, higher education policy and inclusive education. I am at full capacity with my PhD students, and I am no longer accepting new students.

Susie’s research has focused on the imbalance of power between the global North and global South in relation to the development of more equitable education opportunities for the most marginalised groups of children, and for disabled children in particular. What is distinctive about this work is that it has been possible to capture evidence of innovative inclusive practices in some of the economically poorest countries in the world. Through her work with the Enabling Education Network (EENET), which promotes the inclusion of marginalised groups in education worldwide, she developed an inclusive approach to networking as a way of challenging power relations and in order to support the co-production of community based knowledge in Southern countries.

Susie has two related research interests which complement her core research interest in special and inclusive education. The first is in the use of photography in researching injustice in educational settings internationally. Although the use of photography is increasing in educational research, there has been no explicit theoretical work which guides its use in relation to social justice, and herein lies the contribution. The second is in supplementary education in the UK which is under-researched and under-theorised, especially from learners’ perspectives. 

I am currently teaching on the MA in International Education and I lead on the optional course 'Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in International Education.

I supervise PhD students in the areas of refugee education, higher education policy and inclusive education. I am at full capacity with my PhD students, and I am no longer accepting new students.