Supporting disabled-led thinking has been an important part of Touretteshero from the beginning, and over the last few years our research programmes have grown under the care of our Director of Research, Dr Will Renel. This got an added boost last year when Dr Chloe Trainor joined the team to coordinate our Knowledge for Change project.

Knowledge for Change, aka KFC, is helping us support disabled-led knowledge creation and democratise who gets to shape research and thinking of all kinds. Our new programme Knowledge Builders is part of this work so over to Will, Chloe and KFC guiding group member, Miracle, to tell us more about the opportunities this programme offers.

Touretteshero is excited to launch Knowledge Builders – a new programme that supports disabled thinkers to create their own research project funded by Trust for London’s Disability Justice Fund.

Applications to take part in Knowledge Builders open on Monday 26th January 2026 and close on Friday 6th March 2026.

You can find out more about it and how to apply by watching Miracle’s video below or reading the rest of this blog.

 

What is Knowledge Builders?

Knowledge Builders is all about supporting disabled thinkers to undertake their own research.

We use the term ‘disabled thinkers’ to describe any disabled person who is interested in creating and sharing knowledge.

If you’re a disabled person with a question you would like to explore then this could be the programme for you!

We have 8 places available, and you don’t have to have done a research project before. Yours could be about anything from art to astronauts, trains to time travel.

We’ll work with you to explore your question in exciting and accessible ways and help share what you learn with others.

Who can apply?

To apply you must be a disabled person aged 16 or over. When we say disabled we mean anyone who experiences disabling barriers in the world, this includes deaf, disabled, neurodivergent, mad and chronically ill people.

Because the project is funded by Trust for London, we’re particularly interested in applications from disabled Londoners. We have 8 places in total, 6 for people in London and 2 for people anywhere else in the UK.

Key Information

If your application is successful you’ll receive:

Support and mentorship from disabled professionals to help make your project happen.

Opportunities to meet other disabled thinkers and share ideas.

A budget of £750 – which can be used in whatever way is most useful for your project. This includes paying for your time but could also cover:

• paying other people to take part in your project
• buying equipment or materials
• visiting somewhere as part of your research

We have a separate budget for access costs, and our team will work with you to make sure your access requirements can be met during the project.

How to apply

You can apply online here, the application form uses videos and text to ask you questions. You can respond using text, audio or video.

You can download a plain text version of the form here if you prefer.

You can download an example application to get an idea of what to include in yours here.

Important Dates

Monday 26th January – applications open.

Friday 6th March – applications close.

Friday 27th March – we will be in touch to let you know whether your application has been successful or not.

You will have around three months to do your research, between April and June this year, but we can be flexible if you need more time. We’ll work together to decide the best way to share your research.

If you have any questions about applying or would like to receive the application form in another format, please contact research@touretteshero.com.

We look forward to finding out about your ideas!