Dr Jessica Noske-Turner

Dr Jessica Noske-Turner is the Para Sport Against Stigma project’s lead researcher and contributes internationally to the field of Communication for Social Change. She has guided the project’s participatory research methods across Malawi and Region 5 and works closely with partners to shape policy, practice and systems-level reflection. Her work positions communication as a critical driver of social transformation.

 

Para Sport Against Stigma (PSAS) is a research and innovation project exploring how Para and disability sport can be used to understand and shift disability stigma. Part of the FCDO-funded AT2030 programme, the project began by examining how Paralympic broadcasting could influence public perceptions across Sub-Saharan Africa in collaboration with the International Paralympic Committee.

 

Over time, the work has evolved. Today, PSAS focuses on how sport, storytelling, and assistive technology (AT) can contribute to longer-term systems change. We work in reflective cycles with national partners—co-developing activities, learning together, and shaping inclusive policies and practices from the ground up.

 

PSAS is currently delivered in collaboration with Loughborough University London, University of Malawi (UNIMA), the Malawi Paralympic Committee (MPC), and AUSC Region 5, alongside a wide network of storytellers, media professionals, and disabled persons’ organisations.