Disability History Month: an NSU Update!

Chantel Melia 
Vice President 2021-2022
Newman Students' Union

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Newman Students’ Union strives to be an accessible support network and voice for ALL students. As this years’ Vice President, it has been my goal to listen to students and really understand what it means to be accessible and inclusive for our members.
 
In the UK this year, Disability History Month runs from the 18th November to the 18th December. As the month comes to an end, I thought I would update you all on the work I’ve been doing around accessibility, inclusivity, and more! 

​Let’s start from last year. As academic representation officer began to review the dyslexia support that students can access from us and the University. From this, a few focus groups were formed and students gave us some valuable feedback! This year, we're continuing this work by gaining more student voice. We currently have a typeform for students to fill in, asking what support students are aware of and what dyslexia is. So far we have feedback from 60 students, which is great! Help us reach an even bigger audience by answering our questions here: https://form.typeform.com/to/gubUFZp1.

What support do we have in the meantime? If you are someone who struggles to read from a white background, we have coloured overlays that you can access! To access one for the day, all you need to do is pop into the office and give us your student ID as a ‘deposit’. You will then get your ID back when you return the overlay.

​What else have we been up to? With returning back to ‘normal’, we realised that wearing face masks on campus would limit our communications with those who are hard of hearing. To eliminate this barrier, we took the stance of wearing clear face masks throughout freshers. Whilst these were only single use masks, with any event or student facing activity we now wear these. What’s more, we have continuously worked with the University to ensure that lecturers are aware of the barrier facemasks create. Now, as restrictions have updated, it is expected by lecturers to wear clear face masks when teaching. This is a great win for us, and we continue to strive for more inclusive communication to all. 

​Since September, I’ve been playing catch up with our students! It’s been great meeting you all and getting to know you. From conversations with students, I quickly noticed areas of campus that are not accessible. Big examples of this include the lifts, stairs, and hearing loops.
 
One of my biggest wins so far is having the steps in the Senses Courtyard painted to help those who are visually impaired! This came directly from YOUR student feedback, and was such a quick fix for our student to get around campus safely! 

​For lifts, I’m in the process of looking into the weight restrictions. Students who rely on lifts are already limited by our campus, and should not be further limited by lifts that don’t work for them. This is not a tick box exercise, students should be able to access their education!
 
Whilst this is happening, I’m also reviewing how we view those who have a disability. If we’re going to be an inclusive organisation, we need to understand how to treat our students exactly as they are; students. We are not a representative organisation, so let’s at least get trained on how we can become aware and support those we represent.
 
I’m also looking into hearing loops across campus. Due to interference, not every room can have a built in hearing loop. However, other rooms that do not have one can use a portable hearing loop. Why does no one know this? Why do we not use portable hearing loops more often? How do we access them? These are questions that I’m looking to answer.
 
There’s still a lot of work to do. Whilst some areas are bigger to tackle than others, I’m continuing to have conversations with members across the university. Whether it’s about the campus physically, or the support the University and the Students’ Union offer to students, my goal is to break the barriers that students are facing. One barrier at a time.