Tom Shakespeare



Profile:
Full name: Sir Thomas William Shakespeare, 3rd Baronet

Area of interest: Genetics, Sociology: esp. disability issues, bioethics and the Arts

Journals/Organisation: The Guardian

Email: [mailto:t.w.shakespeare@ncl.ac.uk t.w.shakespeare@ncl.ac.uk]

Personal website:

Website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/tomshakespeare

Blog:

Representation:

Networks: https://twitter.com/#!/tommyshakes



Biography:
About: WHO profile

Education: Pembroke College, Cambridge; King's College, Cambridge: Master of Philosophy

Career: Co-founded Disability Action North East and the Northern Disability Arts Forum, 1986; Policy, Ethics and Life Sciences Research Institute: ‘Director of outreach’ (project exploring bioethics and science engagement), 1999/ 2005; Instrumental in the development of the Café Scientifique network both in the UK and internationally; Chair of Arts Council England, North East and National Council Member, 2004/2008; in March 2008 joined the Disability and Rehabilitation Team (DAR) in the Department of Violence and Injury Prevention and Disability

Current position/role: occasional comment writer


 * also writes/written for: monthly columnist for BBC's Ouch! it's a disability thing (column archive)

Other roles/Main role: currently works for the World Health Organization, in Geneva

Other activities: In the Arts, a writer, performer and documentary filmmaker

Disclosures:

Viewpoints/Insight:
 * Livability.org: The profile of Tom Shakespeare
 * 1) Tom's research
 * 2) Is discussion on disability out of date?
 * 3) Unfair representation
 * NewScientistVideo: Bioethicist Tom Shakespeare talks about why reason doesn't tell a good story (YouTube)

Broadcast media:

Video:
 * IMDb

Controversy/Criticism:

Awards/Honours: RADAR UK People of the Year award for furtherance of the human rights of disabled people, 2003; National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) development Fellowship

Scoops:

Other:



Books & Debate:

 * The sexual politics of disability: untold desires OCLC 36584681, 1996 (with Kath Gillespie-Sells, Dominic Davies)
 * Exploring disability: a sociological introduction OCLC 40744417, 1999 (with Colin Barnes, Geof Mercer)
 * Disability/postmodernity: embodying disability theory OCLC 47237980, 2002 (with Mairian Corker)
 * Genetic politics: from eugenics to genome OCLC 52144582, 2002 (with Anne Kerr)

Latest work: Disability rights and wrongs OCLC 64098553, 2006

Speaking/Appearances: Regularly deployed by the British Council as a visiting speaker in different countries

Debate: 

The Guardian:
Column name:

Remit/Info: Genetics, Sociology: esp. disability issues, bioethics and the Arts

Section: no regular column, Guardian.co / comment is free contributions

Role: Commentator

Pen-name:

Email: [mailto:t.w.shakespeare@ncl.ac.uk t.w.shakespeare@ncl.ac.uk]

Website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/tomshakespeare

Commissioning editor:

Day published: varies

Regularity: infrequent

Column format:

Average length:



Articles:

 * The cruel toll of disability hate crime - The death of David Askew is a harsh reminder that the most vulnerable in our society face daily abuse and humiliation - 12th March 2010
 * The stuff of life - The artificial creation of, frankly, a rather dull chromosome, will not solve climate change or spark bioterrorism. Don't get so excited - Saturday, 26th January 2008
 * The virtues of doubt - It is discouraging, even alarming, to find people as confident in their own correctness as our modern secularists and humanists - Friday, 5th October 2007
 * Parliamentary wisdom - This week's report on the draft human embryos and tissues bill was so sensible I no longer believe we need a national bioethics committee - Saturday, 4th August 2007
 * On fertile ground - Embryo research is a contentious issue, but the HFEA has generally steered the right course between permissiveness and control - Friday, 6th July 2007
 * Selective criticism - It's a proposal that will no doubt provoke outrage, but using embryo selection to reduce the impact of cancer seems sensible to me - Thursday, 26th April 2007
 * Still seeking the elixir of life? Just don't expect it at the doctor's - Vitamin D for cancer, green tea for leaukaemia. Sadly there are no quick fixes for our health - The Independent on Sunday, 1st January 2006
 * Genetics and the disabled - From a speech given by the Director of Outreach at Newcastle University to the BA Festival of Science - The Independent, Friday, 12th September 2003



News & updates:


References:


Links:

 * Wikipedia bio