Olivia Andrew

‘In Their Own Words: Experiences of Multiple Sclerosis in Britain between 1980 and 2010’.

Olivia is a CHASE funded PhD student at the University of Kent, seeking to influence change within her PhD investigating 'Experiences of Multiple Sclerosis in Britain Between 1980 and 2010', and is passionate about improving disability equality, accessibility, inclusivity, visibility, treatment, and social perceptions.

Prior to starting her PhD in 2022, Olivia completed her BA in History (Hons) and MA in Modern History at the University of Kent in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

Olivia’s research interests include experiences of physical disability, including representations and social perceptions of disability, discrimination, visibility, agency, inclusion, and activism.

Using oral histories to prioritise people’s lived experiences of physical disability, specifically Multiple Sclerosis, Olivia seeks to raise the voices of those who have largely been silenced throughout history.

Olivia hopes her PhD will help raise awareness to the experiences of people living with Multiple Sclerosis, whilst highlighting the issues many people continue to face within British society, aiding disability inclusivity and equality.  

Dr Claire Jones 

Professor Julie Anderson  

Olivia is one of two Postgraduate Representatives working with the Centre for Health and Medical Humanities (CHMH) at Kent since December 2022. As part of this role, Olivia has been involved in running workshops on researcher wellbeing, as well as working on, and launching, the Centre's 'Ongoing Conversations' project.      

PhD Title 

‘In Their Own Words: Experiences of Multiple Sclerosis in Britain between 1980 and 2010’.

Olivia's mixed method, interdisciplinary project draws on oral history interviews conducted first-hand, alongside archival research, to highlight lived experiences of Multiple Sclerosis, and prioritise the voices of those who have often been excluded from historical studies of disability.