"Having a personal interest in my research made me even more focused"

Felix Shi is hoping that his work to understand the experiences of disabled people will provide a voice for those less represented in academia.

The 30-year-old, who has visual impairment, graduates with a PhD from Cardiff Business School and has already started an academic post at Bangor University, as a lecturer in management.

Felix, who is from China, conducted fieldwork in his home country for his thesis, The Transition to a State Led Market Economy in China: the Impact of Social Change and the Commodification on Disabled People.

“The Chinese labour market has gone through a huge transition,” he said. “But it wasn’t clear how those changes had impacted disabled labourers. I interviewed 48 people as part of my work, talking to people with a diverse range of impairments.

“Many of the people I spoke to were living in extremely remote, rural areas. It was rewarding to hear their stories. Before doing this research I hadn’t realised the impact of a person’s socioeconomic background on their lived experience as a disabled person.

“Growing up, I lived in a relatively wealthy city on the East Coast of China. There was a lot of infrastructure there to support me and I was entitled to grants to help me with my studies. Many of the people I interviewed were not aware of this support or how to access it.

“Overall, I found it a very rewarding experience, which has given me personal knowledge but also the chance to contribute theoretical insights to academic literature.”

Felix is carrying out further research in the area of disability and employment. He has been actively involved in disability activism in Wales and is a board member for Disability Wales.