UK Disability History Month
Disability History Month (DHM) takes place in the UK between 16 November and 16 December. The 2023 theme is Disability, Children and Youth. Disability History Month values difference and focuses attention on the barriers that are preventing many disabled people from participating fully in society.
At the University of Bradford, we know that we have work to do. This work needs to involve senior leaders, staff, students and external partners with and without lived experience of being disabled.
Join us this Disability History Month as we:
- Honour and celebrate the contributions that disabled people are making to our University and to wider society
- Seek to educate ourselves and each other on disability rights
- Identify and tackle barriers to inclusion.
Wear purple to work day 16 November 2023
To start our celebration of Disability History Month, we are lighting up our campus purple and would like staff and students to show their support by wearing anything purple on 16 November 2023.
How we're celebrating in 2023
To get involved, take a look at the Disability History Month events taking place at the University of Bradford. Learn more and find resources on the UK Disability History Month website.
Student and staff panel session
Wednesday 22 November 2023 - 3:30pm
Location: Student Union Mall, Student Central, University of Bradford
Students and staff members with disabilities will be given the opportunity to express the effects on them and how and what the University can do to make them feel more comfortable.
Embodying experience poetry workshop by Daniel Sluman
Wednesday 29 November 2023 - 2pm-4pm
Location: Online via Teams
We are going to talk about our own bodily experience and discuss some of the issues disabled and D/deaf people might have in our world. We will also move through a short poetry exercise to generate our own poems. For those who would like to, there will be a chance to share their work.
Guest lecture: Identity, disability and eunuchism in Greco-Roman Egypt
Tuesday 5 December 2023 - 5:30pm-6:30pm
Location: J19, Richmond Building, also streamed live for online attendees
A guest lecture by Sonia Zakrzewski from the University of Southampton, explores social identities within Egypt, and debates the theoretical aspects of archaeological identity and disability.
Disability treasure hunt
Unfortunately, our campus is not yet as accessible as it should be, particularly for people with mobility-related disabilities. To put this more firmly on the agenda and to help us think about how we tackle some of these barriers, members of our Experts by Experience group have put together a treasure hunt on campus.
On the first day of Disability History Month, they are inviting senior leaders to join them in experiencing the campus from their perspective. The aim is to demonstrate how moving around campus can be experienced differently and how the term 'accessible' can be subjective.
Support the University offers
We recognise that dismantling the barriers disabled people face at the University will take more than a month, so near the end of DHM we will launch a new Disability Equality Action Group to take this work forward. Any staff who have a disability or long-term health condition can join N-Able, who meet informally every month to support each other. N-Able are working with CfID to improve awareness of, and support for, all people with disabilities in the University. To join, please email n-able@bradford.ac.uk.
Support for staff
The n-able staff network has a focus on promoting disability equality and the benefits of a diverse workforce, celebrating the achievements of disabled people, and supporting staff with disabilities and/or long-term health conditions, including mental health conditions.
The next n-able staff forum meeting is on 21st November 2023 at 10am, online via Teams. To find out more or to join n-able please email n-able@bradford.ac.uk.
The Neurodivergent staff network is ND-led and aims to bring neurodivergent staff together to offer each other support based on our shared experiences. The staff network raises awareness and increases understanding of the benefits and challenges of neurodivergent conditions in the workplace. To find out more or to join n-able please email neurodivergent@bradford.ac.uk.
Support for students
The Disability advice team work with students to identify and recommend disability-related study support and reasonable adjustments.
The team can help identify barriers and challenges students may face on their course. Students can disclose a disability at any point during their admission or studies with us. Students will need to provide evidence about their disability.
Adjustments are identified based on a discussion with the student and the evidence provided. The adjustments will be listed in a document called the Learner Support Plan. We can also support UK students, to obtain external support through the government's non-means tested Disabled Students Allowance (DSA).
Find more information on the Disability service webpage.