Dr Carmen Yau

She/Her
Lecturer in Social Work and Lead of Wellbeing Research Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London
Goldsmiths, University of London

Award category:

Education and Research

Carmen’s journey from Hong Kong to London has made her a strong global changemaker, and her work on education, research and advocacy challenges perceptions of disability and has inspired and empowered others.

In August 2022, Carmen was the only disability advocate to represent Hong Kong China at the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in Geneva. She demonstrated great passion and critical thinking in conceptualising inequality issues with solid literature support and research-based evidence. She presented one report on rights and equality issues about disabled women in the Chinese community. She also presented a confidential report on the political rights and health inequality of disabled people and those who acquired disabilities as the consequences of social unrest. She also raised the urgency of strategic planning to address PTSD and other implications after social unrest. Carmen also helped to address issues related to forced marriage among disabled women and disabled human rights defenders in prison as well as contributing her lived experience related to forced migration.

From 2023/24, Carmen published four book chapters covering the sex rights of the disabled, sex volunteering services, gender-based violence against women with disabilities, and universal design of social infrastructure to meet the needs of the population. This year, she is writing three book chapters on well-being in Buddhism concepts, intersectional practice in disability social work, and practice research on disability x LGBT+ movement.

Carmen is currently having two impactful research projects. The first one is about accessible tourism and flight rights for disabled individuals. Her work will be highlighted in a documentary with Channel 4. The second one is an action research on accessibility & representativeness of disability in Pride movements. It is a co-production of practice wisdom and concerted effort among experts in accessibility, pride organizers and people with lived experiences.

This year, Carmen continued her narrative practice, “Sugar’s XXX Stories” to promote disability politics in sexuality (i.e. crip erotica) is commendable. Her previous erotica in Hong Kong was a powerful medium for promoting political and feminist ideals by challenging normative ableism and heteropatriarchy, promoting equality and sexual autonomy, empowering and giving voice to disabled individuals. Through its narratives, Carmen’s erotica contributes to a broader cultural shift towards more inclusive, respectful, and open attitudes towards sex and sexuality of disabled individuals.

Disability is the perfect imperfection. Disabled women are powerful leaders because of their resilience, intersectionality, and courage.

Q&A

Dr Carmen Yau
“You Are Unique, but Not That Special”. Your disability brings you challenges but also authenticity. Make your actions speak louder than your disability.
Carmen has a proven track record of fostering an engaging and intellectually stimulating learning environment for students, colleagues, and social workers. Through innovative teaching methods, insightful lectures, and hands-on experiences, she has inspired countless students and placement educators to excel in their academic pursuits and become compassionate, competent professionals in the field of social work. Her passion and vision for social work shape how social work should be taught, assessed, and developed in the current fast-changing and digital-saturated era. She trains social workers to progress as placement educators to coach social work students at work. She is dedicated to promoting an inclusive approach to teaching, assessment, and placement to accommodate students with diverse abilities and backgrounds. Carmen works closely with boroughs and agencies to deliver insightful workshops to equip essential mindsets and skillsets to work in the post-covid, fast-changing, digital-saturated context. For instance, intersectional practice in disability services and, the use of arts in case assessments and interventions. Her qualifications and knowledge make her an exceptional educator and mentor to build an enthusiastic workforce for the disabled community. As the lead of Wellbeing Research Hub, Carmen aims to diversify and decolonise the concept of “health and wellbeing” and interventions in today’s context. Carmen is a global disability expert who promotes radical changes for all. She devotes her passion and time to addressing the intersectionality of disabled women. Carmen has made significant contributions to research in disability and social work, addressing pressing issues and advancing knowledge in the field. Her scholarly work has not only enriched our understanding of disability but has also influenced policies and interventions aimed at improving the well-being of disabled individuals, caregivers, and the global disability communities. Her research includes interpersonal violence against disabled women, health inequality, independent living and employment, support for caregivers, and inclusive humanitarian response. Her work on disability politics in sexuality (e.g. crip erotica and sex volunteering) is commendable. Over the years she developed a strong partnership with disability communities at the local and global levels.
My main research area is Disability and well-being. The nutshell of my study on disability is identity politics, self-autonomy and self-agency of people with disability. My study highlights potentials and risks in the current post-covid, fast-changing, digital-saturated context. My research can be categorized into three areas as follows: The first research area takes a “problem-solving” approach to gain knowledge on the lived experience of disabled people in the light to explore the structures, processes and factors that disable/enable disabled people. Research themes range from domestic violence, health inequality, independent living and other topics related to rights, citizenship and welfare of people with disability. The first research area aims to seek solutions and policy recommendations to advance the rights of disabled people across the globe, in the human rights framework. The second research area takes a “root cause” approach to reflecting the intersectionality and structural oppression against disabled people. The first research area serves as building blocks to illustrate intersectionality and structural oppression in various contexts. I chose my focus on sexuality and gender of people with disability. My research themes include sex education, sex work/volunteering for/by people with disability, sexual/body exploration and fetishes. The second research area serves as an entry point and strategy to promote a radical change against disablism and identity politics of people with disability. The third research area takes a “decolonizing” approach to diversify the concept and practice of (dis)ability and well-being. My research focuses on the positive components of well-being including happiness, life satisfaction, faith and hope. These components motivate people to gain self-efficacy and resilience to commit to their life goals, despite facing life uncertainties and unanticipated circumstances in the contemporary world. In this research area, my study on disability should be transferable to other vulnerable communities with vulnerability.
Watch movies and drama series – stories open up new experiences and lifepaths in a different sociocultural context, and characters vividly show us their growth, resilience and resistance in their world.
My partner and carer, Jochen, provides me with unconditional love and inspiration to be confident as an adult woman, to be loved and to love boldly, to be courageous to face health uncertainties, and to be generous to contribute to the world.
I prefer cats. but rabbits are my favourite.
Changing the definition and weighting of human value can significantly shape our world into a more inclusive, equitable and compassionate world.
Addressing ableism is the key to tackle all forms of barriers and challenge the “take-for-granted” stereotypes and stigma.
a woman in a power wheelchair with pink curly long hair with little butterflies as decoration. She had a huge colourful butterfly wings behind her back. She wears a pink qipao and a tutu dress. She has a rainbow leggings and leather boots. She places her hands on her waist to signifies the confidence of wonder woman.

Areas of expertise

Accessibility, Art, photography, Charity, social enterprise, Children and young people, Cross Sector, Disability Advocacy, Education, Employment, Equality, Food and drink, Health and wellbeing, IT, Tech, Web design, Languages, Politics, Publishing, Science, Social Media influencing

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