Richard Gäddman Johansson Senior lecturer

I teach in the following courses within the Social Work Programme:

• Disability, Diversity and Welfare: Policy, Social Services and Living Conditions (7.5 ECTS credits, advanced level)
  
• Introduction to Social Work (7.5 ECTS credits)
  
• Research Planning (7.5 ECTS credits)
• Sexology I - Sexuality and Society (7.5 ECTS credits, advanced level)
• Social Work as a Knowledge Field (7.5 ECTS credits)
• Sociological and Social Psychological Perspectives in Social Work (7.5 ECTS credits)
  
• The Welfare State - an Introduction I (7.5 ECTS credits)

I teach in the following courses within the Master's Programme in Social Work:

• Perspectives on Social Work and Social Policy in the Swedish Welfare State (22.5 ECTS credits, advanced level)
  

I also supervise BA thesis students in Social Work.

My main research interest concerns health and social care work and the provision of support, particularliy within disability services. I am interested in studying the organisation and implementation of welfare services, as well as problems and opportunities for change that arise in everyday care contexts and encounters between service users and staff.

In general terms, my research engages with different areas of study, including professional health and social care, social welfare, work and organisation, and Disability Studies.

Previous research projects:

• Digital Daily Activity Centres. The Digital Leap Triggered by Covid-19 and its Future Consequences for Individuals with ID (2021-2025. Funded by Forte: Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare)

Publications

Articles (peer-reviewed)

Gäddman Johansson, R. & Engwall, K. (2026). Redefining Professionalism in Disability Services: Digital Transformation, Boundary Work, and Professional Capital in Frontline Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 39(1), e70196. https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.70196

Gäddman Johansson, R. (2025). En för alla eller alla för en? Om standardisering och personcentrering i svensk funktionshinderomsorg [One for All, or All for One? Standardization and Person-Centered Care i Swedish Disability Services]. Arbetsliv i Omvandling, 2025(1), 71-92. https://journals.lub.lu.se/aio/issue/view/3653/917

Gäddman Johansson, R. & Engwall, K. (2024). Digital daglig verksamhet – utmaningar och möjligheter till digital inkludering för vuxna med intellektuell funktionsnedsättning [Digital Daily Activities - Challenges and Opportunities for the Digital Inclusion of Adults with Intellectual Disability]. Socialvetenskaplig tidskrift, 31(1), 69-88. Doi: 10.3384/SVT.2024.31.1.4871

Bahner, J., Gäddman Johansson, R., & Svanelöv, E. (2024). Who Counts as a Sexual Subject? The Impact of Ableist Rhetoric for People with Intellectual Disability in Sweden. Sexuality Research & Social Policy, 21(1), 161-176. Doi:10.1007/s13178-023-00873-5

Gäddman Johansson, R. & Hellström Muhli, U. (2018). Developing Care Professionals: Changing Disability Services in Sweden. Professions & Professionalism, 8(2), e2017. Doi: 10.7577/pp.217

Chapter in book

Gäddman Johansson, R. & Engwall, K. (2025). "Day Centre Staff VS. Service Users During the COVID-19 Pandemic" In: D. Kulick & S. Vehmas (Eds.), Clashing Vulnerabilities, Disability and Conflict (pp. 142-161). Routledge. Doi: 10.4324/9781003671565-9

Monographs

Gäddman Johansson, R. (2021). Managing Vulnerability: Everyday Interaction in Sheltered Accommodations. Doctoral thesis, Uppsala University. Link to DiVA

Other research publications

Dinu, R. H., Gäddman Johansson, R., & Wälivaara, J. (2026). Critical Disability Studies: Applications and Interventions Across Disciplines. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 28(1), 244-248. https://doi.org/10.16993/sjdr.1536

Conference papers/presentations

Nyby, J. & Gäddman Johansson, R. (2026). "Participation, inclusion and local interpretation: Accompanying person service in the Swedish welfare state". 24th ESPANET Annual Conference - Resize? Restructure? The European Social Model Under Pressure. Lisbon, Portugal (August 26-28). https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-258710

Gäddman Johansson, R. (2026). "Tjäna in på gungorna vad man förlorat på karusellen: Digitala språng och klyftor inom insatser för särskilt stöd och service innan, under och efter covid-19-pandemin". Sociologidagarna - "Same as it ever was?". Växjö, Sweden (March 18-20). https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-254021

Gäddman Johansson, R. & Olofsson, T. (2025). "Tinkering with care: Digital tools and the struggle to maintain meaningful activities for people with intellectual disabilities during COVID-19". 7th Nordic Science and Technology Conference - STS in and out of the Laboratory. Stockholm, Sweden (June 11-13). https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-244245

Gäddman Johansson, R. & Engwall, K. (2025). "Digital reversion imminent? How to maintain digital daily activities for adults with intellectual disabilities post-pandemic". 17th Nordic Network on Disability Research Conference - Disability in Local and Global Contexts. Helsinki, Finland (May 7-9). https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-243178

Gäddman Johansson, R. & Engwall, K. (2024). ”With friends like these: Clashing vulnerabilities in facilitating meaningful activities through digital means for adults with intellectual disability”. 31st Nordic Sociological Association Conference – Sociology in a Digital World. Norrköping, Sweden (August 14-16). https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-68186

Gäddman Johansson, R. & Engwall, K. (2024). ”Digital daily activities: Opportunities and prospects of providing meaningful activities for adults with intellectual disabilities with the aid of ICT”. FORSA/NASSW International Conference on Social Work Research, Education, and Practice –Social Work as Emancipatory Practice. Creating Pathways towards Social Justice. Göteborg, Sweden (June 17-19). https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-68185

Gäddman Johansson, R. (2023). ”What do we do? What can we do?: Preliminary findings from a research project on digitally facilitating meaningful activities for adults with ID during the pandemic”. 16th Nordic Network on Disability Research (NNDR) Research Conference. Reykjavik, Iceland (May 10-12). https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-62554

Gäddman Johansson, R. (2022). ”Att hantera sårbarhet i vardagen under ett LSS i kris”. Sociologidagarna - Bortom krisen. Uppsala, Sweden (March 16-18). http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-57638

Hobé, A. & Gäddman Johansson, R. (2019). ”Comparing Teaching Tools and Issues between Unlikely Disciplines”. 8th International Geosciences Student Conference - Sharing Ideas. Responsibly Securing Natural Resources. Uppsala, Sweden (June 16-20). http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-387580

Gäddman Johansson, R. & Sépulchre, M. (2018). ”Remaining Close at a Distance: Negotiating Support and Service Provision at Housing with Special Services”. The Cultural Matters Group (CMG) Dis/Connection Symposium - Conflicts, activism and reciprocity online and beyond. Uppsala, Sweden (September 27-28). http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-362371

Gäddman Johansson, R. (2017). ”From Ambiguities to Opportunities: A review of research on care and intellectual and developmental disabilities”. 14th Nordic Network on Disability Research (NNDR) Research Conference - Living with disability. Örebro, Sweden (May 3-5). http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-313020

Gäddman Johansson, R. & Hellström Muhli, U. (2016). ”Developing Care Professionals: Possible Ramifications of Professional Projects within Swedish Disability Care Services”. 3rd International Sociological Association (ISA) Conference - The futures we want: Global sociology and the struggles for a better world. Vienna, Austria (July 10-14). http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-29937