ÂÒÂ×Ðã

On this page:

• Foreword from Indie Beedie, ÂÒÂ×Ðã Disability Equality Envoy and Co-Chair of ÂÒÂ×Ðã's Disability Equity Steering Group, and Suzanna Chen, Disabled Students' Officer at Students’ Union ÂÒÂ×Ðã
• Events
• Support for students
• Support for staff
• Inclusive education resources and events
• More information, resources and links
• Image credit

Foreword from Indie Beedie, ÂÒÂ×Ðã Disability Equality Envoy and Co-Chair of ÂÒÂ×Ðã's Disability Equity Steering Group, and Suzanna Chen, Disabled Students' Officer at Students’ Union ÂÒÂ×Ðã.Ìý

UK Disability History Month (UKDHM) is a time to recognise that disability is a natural part of human existence and diversity, and that negative connotations and limitations associated with disabilities are manifestations of inaccessible environments and socially created oppression. This paradigm, which has been adopted by ÂÒÂ×Ðã, is referred to as the Social Model of Disability, and has an important influence both on how people with disabilities are treated in society and how disabled people see themselves.Ìý

Disability History Month is also a time to look back on the history of disabled people in the fight for equity and reflect on how far society has come over the years. At ÂÒÂ×Ðã, it’s a time for reflection on the eugenics legacy of ÂÒÂ×Ðã, Francis Galton and the impact of eugenics on the disabled community. We can take pride that as an institution we are beginning to address the legacy of eugenics and continuing on that journey with the Eugenics Legacy Education Project.Ìý

The theme for UKDHM 2023, ‘Disability, Childhood and Youth’, is particularly relevant to students with its focus on young people with disabilities. suggested that while the number of disabled students in higher education has increased, they are more likely to drop out, and those who finish their degree tend to have lower degree results than non-disabled students.Ìý

These disparities are worth addressing as disabled students make up nearly 16% of the university’s student body, amounting to over 7,000 students. A survey conducted by ÂÒÂ×Ðã’s Disabled Students Network (DSN) in 2019 found that . Various disabled students have also identified specific issues like bureaucratic adjustment processes, inaccessible physical environments, additional disability-related expenses, and discriminatory attitudes as negative aspects of their ÂÒÂ×Ðã experience.Ìý

ÂÒÂ×Ðã takes pride in its history and commitment to making higher education accessible to underrepresented students and names accessibility a fundamental principle. It accommodates its disabled students and staff with support such as and digital accessibility tools, although it’s acknowledged that there is more work to do to create a truly accessible education offering and workplace.Ìý

There is strength in community and allies from across the university are working to improve accessibility and disability inclusion at ÂÒÂ×Ðã and beyond. From in their curriculum, , ÂÒÂ×Ðã Arena’s inclusive education resources, and department-led projects such as ‘disability and student access to the practice of law’, to disabled student and staff-run and of peer support, the plethora of ways in which disabled and non-disabled students and staff contribute to a more accessible environment for everyone should be acknowledged and celebrated during and after this month.Ìý

7% of ÂÒÂ×Ðã staff have a declared disability; however, we know that . This suggests that the number of disabled working age adults at ÂÒÂ×Ðã is higher than the reported figures. Even if we just took the 7% figure, that is a significant number of people within our community who identify as disabled. If you would like to declare your disability, you can do so through .Ìý

Disabled staff also report challenges such as the tyranny of protocol, stigmatisation and barriers to career progression. We all need to work together to change the culture at ÂÒÂ×Ðã so that the environment is more inclusive for disabled staff and students. This begins with moving away from a deficit model and embracing the diversity of experience and thoughts that the disabled community can provide. Adaptations for disabled staff and students benefit not only the disabled community, but all of us – for example, typewriters and keyboards, the electric toothbrush and closed captions are something all of us use in our everyday lives which were designed for disabled people. This also applies to adaptations that we make as an institution for students and staff, such as access to lectures recording or flexible working patterns.Ìý

Being a person with disabilities can be challenging in subtle and extensive ways, but there is a wonderful community of disabled staff, students, and allies at ÂÒÂ×Ðã committed to accessibility and disability inclusion and this month is for you all.

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21 November, 5–7pm: London (Brain) Fog: Long Covid and Unfeeling through Crip of Colour CritiqueÌý

In this talk Xine Yao presents tentative work toward their new project developing the racial and sexual politics of unfeeling from their award-winning monograph DISAFFECTED as a crip of colour framework. In person/open to all.Ìý

23 November, 1–2pm: Disability Innovation Lectures: Meeting Peoples’ Primary Needs, Now and in the Future

We are delighted to invite you to this lunchtime guest lecture and Q&A with with Dr Rosie Gowran, ÂÒÂ×Ðã Honorary Professor, Clinical Lead for the National Clinical Programme for People with Disability, Associate Professor in Occupational Therapy, and Programme Director at the University of Limerick, Ireland. In person/open to all.

23 November, 4–6pm:

This display from LSE's archives will include materials of suffragette Rosa May Billinghurst, papers from the Maternity Alliance Disability Working Group (now Maternity Action, maternity rights charity), GEMMA newsletters, Gay Men's Disabled Group newsletters, the Disablement Income Group (DIG) and more. In person/open to all.

23 November, 5–8,30pm: Ìý

A fantastic opportunity to embrace inclusivity, learn British Sign Language (BSL) glossary terms, and have a blast in a safe and supportive environment. In person/open to all.

1 December, 2–3pm: International Day of Persons with Disabilities Conference 2023

Join ÂÒÂ×Ðã Student Support and Wellbeing on Friday 1 December 2023 to celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Online/open to ÂÒÂ×Ðã students and staff.

6 December, 2–3pm: Supporting disabled and neurodivergent students in Higher Education: Student Success Series (online)

The Student Success Staff Speaker series runs between October to March on a bi-monthly basis, featuring Higher Education practitioners to help raise awareness of issues that disabled students face within HE. Online/open to ÂÒÂ×Ðã staff.

11 December, 2–3pm:

This panel event brings together women with disabilities in academia at different stages of their careers. They will reflect on their journeys; what support is available and what still needs to be done in academia to empower women with disabilities. Online/open to university staff.

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Support for Students

• ÂÒÂ×Ðã Student Support & Wellbeing: Information for disabled studentsÌý
• Advocacy workshops for disabled studentsÌý
• Students’ Union ÂÒÂ×Ðã

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Support for Staff

• EDI Equality pages: Disability EqualityÌý
• ÂÒÂ×Ðã’s Disability Equality Steering Group (DESG)Ìý
• Supporting Disabled and Neurodivergent staff at ÂÒÂ×Ðã: guidance for staff and their line managers
• Neurodiversity at ÂÒÂ×Ðã: Guidance for staff and line managers
• Mental health guidance for managers
• Supporting staff with reasonable adjustments: Training for line managersÌý
• Adjustments PassportÌý
• Digital Accessibility ServicesÌý
• Workplace Health

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Inclusive education resources and events

• Inclusive education: HomepageÌý
• Teaching toolkit: Creating inclusive student-staff partnershipsÌýÌýÌý
• Teaching toolkit: Supporting Neurodiversity in educationÌýÌý
• Teaching toolkit: Using inclusive language in educationÌý
• How to plan for tailored adjustments in Postgraduate researchÌýÌýÌý
• Ìý
• A toolkit for developmental Dyscalculia and Mathematical Difficulties
• Best practices in inclusive education, 4 December, 1-2:30pmÌý
• Supporting PGR Mental Health and Wellbeing, 6 December, 2–3:30pmÌýÌý
• Supporting disabled and neurodivergent students in Higher Education, 6 December 2–3pm

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More information, resourcesÌýand links

• Ìý
• Ìý
• ÂÒÂ×Ðã Library Services: Book recommendations from Disability History Month 2023
• Find out how ÂÒÂ×Ðã supports prospective students with a disability, including our Discover ÂÒÂ×Ðã Summer School for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students and Experience ÂÒÂ×Ðã taster days for Year 12/13 students in priority groups.Ìý
• Read our Staff Spotlight on DESG co-chair Indie BeedieÌý
• Read Suzanna Chen’s article about experiences of being disabled at ÂÒÂ×Ðã
• Listen to Episode 5 of the Institute for Healthcare Engineering’s Health in a Handbasket podcast, where the team talks to researcher Peter Snow, who’s working on systems to help people with phantom limb pain and other conditions, as well as using gaming software to create training tools for surgeons.
• This examinesÌýhow people with disabilities are amongst the most at risk from the impacts of extreme events—they must be included within disaster risk reduction.
• ÂÒÂ×Ðã supports the Sunflower Lanyard invisible disability scheme – see our dedicated webpage for more information and FAQsÌý
• Catch up on all the initiatives from ÂÒÂ×Ðã’s Ìý
• ÂÒÂ×Ðã Library Services is committed to ensuring that students, staff and visitors can access their services and environment.

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Image credit

Image courtesy of the collection, a site providingÌýfree and inclusive stock images of disabled people.

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