Professor Andy Minnion MBE
Andy Minnion is the founder and Director of RIX Research & Media and Professor of Media Advocacy at the University of East London. He leads the RIX Centre’s applied research programme, which explores the use of web and digital media for the benefit of people with learning disabilities and other support needs. He lectures, trains and advises internationally on digital solutions for social inclusion and citizen advocacy for personalised care and support. Andy is a 2020 Fellow on the NHS Innovation Accelerator programme.
Gosia Kwiatkowska, Bsc, MA, FHEA
Gosia Kwiatkowska is Co-director of RIX Research and Media. She manages the centre and its portfolio of research projects and software implementation programmes, She leads on the RIX Centre’s national and international research projects in education, health and care settings. She is a Senior Lecturer and researcher at the University of East London where she teaches across Social Work, SEN education, Psychology and Media disciplines. Her research focuses on the use of technology to promote inclusion, participation and human rights for disadvantaged people.
Kanchan Kerai, BA
Kanchan Kerai is the Administrator for RIX Research & Media. She is responsible for all the administrative functions of the RIX office and provides coordination, account management and user support for the Centre’s research and software implementation services. Kanchan joined the team in 2015 and brought with her over 19 years of administrative experience in office management, including 10 years with NHS community services. She has a degree in Business Marketing.
Ajay Choksi
Ajay is a self-advocate and a peer trainer and supporter. Ajay has been working with people with learning disabilities and professionals from education, health and social care settings for over 13 years. He has taken part in many national and international projects, presented at national and international conferences and taught various professionals how to use RIX Wikis and other technologies. To find out more about Ajay please visit his wiki rixwiki.org/Default/home/ajay-advice-3
Richard Lohan, BA
RIX Contractor
Richard is the communications lead at RIX. Richard develops instructional resources and delivers training for RIX software users, supporters and professionals. His background is in languages and music and he spent many years running music workshops for disadvantaged groups in various health and social care settings. He helped set up Camden’s Accessible Information Service and works as an accessible information specialist and trainer in a community learning disability team.
Samantha Goncalves
RIX Contractor
Sam co-develops resources, advises, presents and trains for RIX Research & Media. Sam is a parent carer of a young adult with complex needs. She has been using technology and a multi-media advocacy approach to support her son’s education, health and care planning for the past seven years. Samantha is a Person Centred Planning trainer and has held a range of voluntary posts with organisations supporting people with learning disabilities. She is currently the Citizen Lead for the Professional Records Standard Board.
Craig Wilkie, BA Education (hons)
RIX Contractor & eLearning Team
Craig is the RIX Centre’s Technical Manager and steers our software development, delivery and maintenance. He also draws on his extensive experience as a trained primary teacher and learning technologies advisory teacher in Tameside and Nottinghamshire. He specialises in the implementation of learning technologies and co-authored Power-Up Literacy on pioneering approaches to Literacy with tech. Craig has Prince2 Foundation & Practitioner qualifications and many years’ experience of delivering IT-related projects for UK companies and public and voluntary organisations.