Have a look at what your Students with Disabilities Liberation Rep, Katie, has planned!
According to the WHO, it is estimated that around 16% of the world’s population currently have a disability, and this statistic doesn’t necessarily account for those who haven’t disclosed, or been diagnosed. However, even without considering these hidden statistics, that is still a huge number of people whose everyday lives are impacted by health conditions.
At the SU, we want to make sure that everyone feels supported, and one of the ways that we do this is through the presence of a Liberation Representative for a number of underrepresented groups across the student population, and this month from the 16th November through to the 20th December is Disability History Month. As such, as your Liberation Representative for Disabled Students, I have planned a number of ways in which students with disabilities can get involved in your SU, or students who do not can learn more about the experiences of those who do.
What is a disability?
A disability is any condition, whether mental or physical, that has a substantial and long term impact on someone’s ability to go about day-to-day tasks. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they are always impacted, though for many this is the case. For some, it may be that they have better and worse days, or they are more impacted during periods known as ‘flare ups’.
What support is available to students with disabilities?
Within the university there is a team dedicated to ensuring that students with disabilities receive any of the help and support that they need, and also making sure that the university remains accessible to all. More information about this team can be found at: I am a current student - University of Wolverhampton.
The Students’ Union also has staff in place to support those who are experiencing disability-related issues. This includes staff such as the disabled students’ Liberation Representative, who can be contacted on katie.blackwell2@wlv.ac.uk, or our advice and representation centre, who are there to help students in crisis, or in need of further help and advice. More information about the ARC can be found at: wolvesunion.org/advice/.
Students within the University also have access to sunflower lanyards, which are a symbol for non-visible disabilities. These can be accessed through the student life team in the MD Building at City Campus!
What is the SU doing for Disability History Month?
The theme for Disability History Month is ‘Employability and Livelihood’, and as such we want to highlight the ways in which students’ everyday lives are impacted by disabilities, whether through subtle hidden ableism, or through more outright accessibility issues.
Over the 4 weeks there will be a number of activities to interact or get involved with, which can all be found on our website at wolvesunion.org/whatson/. However, some of the events include:
- 27th November, 13:00-15:00 - A careers event that focuses on making job searching more accessible, and how to ask for reasonable accommodations in the workplace.
- 3rd December, 10:00-14:00 - An event that looks at accessibility within the university, and the ways in which subtle ableism impacts the student experience. This will be run in conjunction with the student life team, and will have plenty of games and activities to get involved in!
- 4th December - A movie screening of The Holiday!
- 9th December - ‘Managing the Winter Blues Crafting’ - A craft session run in the Den of the SU with activities such as painting, colouring, Origami and Crochet! Even if you don’t want to craft, feel free to come along for a biscuit and a chat!
That is just a few of the events that we have planned!
There will also be the opportunity to get a gift-bag for the festive period with a collection of goodies! These will be limited to 1 per student, and will be on a first come, first serve basis!
We look forward to seeing you all!
- Katie