Dr. Azzopardi Lane is a senior lecturer with the Department of Gender and Sexualities, within the University of Malta’s Faculty for Social Wellbeing, of which she is also Deputy Dean. She spent years working as a front-liner in the disability sector, in Malta and abroad, in both the educational and social support fields. Having read for a Master’s degree focusing on persons with intellectual disabilities with higher support needs, particularly sensory needs, at the University of Manchester, she worked in this field for 16 years putting her education into practice.
Dr. Azzopradi lane then read for her PhD at the University of Kent’s Tizard Centre, looking more closely at the lived experiences of young persons with intellectual disabilities in Malta, focusing on their sexual well-being and family lives, in terms of what are now Articles 23 and 25 of the UNCRPD.
Dr. Azzopardi Lane’s research and follow-up work has since been presented not only in Malta, but also elsewhere, from Europe to Asia, the United States and Canada, and including at the last Conference of States Parties (CoSP) to the UNCRPD. She also authored a number of book chapters, and publishes regularly in key international journals, acting as a peer reviewer for such journals too.