Jules De Bellis
Profile
Biography
Since 2020, I have worked at the intersection of inclusion, wellbeing and social justice, supporting LGBTQIA+, neurodivergent and disabled people as they navigate systems that are often exclusionary by design. My experience spans community, charity and organizational settings, including direct support, training, editorial work and advocacy. I currently lead the "Access to Justice" research project at The Elfrida Society, exploring the systemic barriers faced by parents with learning disabilities and neurodivergent needs in the family justice system. Additionally, I lead and host "Don't Hold Me Back", a podcast created with and for people with learning disabilities to promote self-advocacy and challenge everyday accessibility barriers in healthcare. As a queer AuDHD person, I bring both lived experience and professional grounding to my work, centring empowerment, ethical practice and community voices.
In September 2026, I began my PhD in Sociology at University of York, with a project previsionary titled "Towards a Neuroqueer Sociology of Affective Technology: The Experience Of Neurodivergent Trans Users Of AI-Mediated Mental Healthcare", which investigates how transgender/non-binary neurodivergent individuals interact with algorithmically mediated mental health support. Sitting at the intersection of neuroqueer theory, affect studies and digital sociology, this work examines how human-AI interactions shape care, identity and recognition for populations routinely marginalised by both healthcare systems and technological design. By placing community co-production at the heart of the research process, the project aims to establish concrete design principles for digital mental health tools that are genuinely inclusive, accessible, and culturally competent. Ultimately, this work builds on my long-standing commitment to understanding how emerging technologies impact the wellbeing, agency and rights of trans and neurodivergent communities.
My background combines Cultural Heritage Studies (BA, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy), Human Interaction Engineering (PGC, HCE University, Italy), Gender and Sexuality Studies (MSc, Birkbeck University of London) and AI Ethics (MA, Birkbeck University of London).
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-
