Ruth Gailey is a 3rd year PhD Candidate: School of Health in Social Science. Ruth Gailey's project explores profound connections between carers and non-speaking autistic people. Project: Between Worlds This project explores profound connections between carers and non-speaking autistic people. Drawing on the Celtic concept of a "thin place"— where the boundary between the material and the spiritual blurs— in this liminal space, people feel more present, intuitive, and connected to other ways of knowing. Through interviews with parents and carers, I’ll create a shared narrative, woven into an immersive audio experience designed to evoke a calming, altered state that invites listeners into deeper ways of knowing.I’m excited to share experiences that are seldom acknowledged—like moments of telepathy or seeing through another’s eyes—which first emerged for me over 25 years ago while working with autistic children during my neuroscience studies. At the time, there were no frameworks to hold these experiences. Now, these stories are helping research open to new ways of understanding reality. Ruth Gailey Project outcomes:I applied with the idea of combining immersive audio and storytelling with my research, to open up new ways of understanding communication beyond spoken language. I took a novel approach to my interview. I decided to ‘show not tell’ and asked the interview panel to wear blindfolds while I told them a story of what I planned to do. This had the benefit of giving them insight into my project, it also allowed them to relax for a few minutes in a meditative state during a busy afternoon of interviews but the main reason was it allowed me to avoid the pretty draining procedure of giving 6 people eye contact while trying to remember a script. In the neurodivergent community, we call this universal accommodation. Where everyone benefits from the slight changes needed to include those with differences.What was the most rewarding part of your summer research?The most rewarding part was listening to parents and carers share their experiences and then bringing these together into a shared narrative. Hearing the resonance between people’s stories and then shaping that into something that others could experience through sound, felt very powerful and meaningful.Why should students get involved in a summer research project?It gives you space to experiment and take creative risks that you might not get during the rest of your studies. You also get to focus deeply on one idea, and see how it can develop in ways that are both personally and academically rewarding.How has this research experience influenced your future study and career paths?It has strengthened my commitment to creating research that is not just about producing knowledge, but about opening up dialogue and new ways of understanding. It has also given me the confidence to bring together creative practice, personal experience, and academic research - something I want to continue throughout my PhD and beyond.What advice would you give future students applying for summer research scholarships?Don’t be afraid to propose something creative or a little unconventional if it feels meaningful to you. Make sure you show how it connects with your research interests, but also let your passion and curiosity come through. And once you’re in the project, stay open to where it leads - some of the most important insights will emerge in unexpected ways. Document View the Between Worlds poster (423.92 KB / PDF) This article was published on 2025-06-17
