Our vision is of a university which is accessible to all students, which recognises the needs of individuals and proactively addresses barriers to full participation.
Are you a member of the disabled students community? Don't forget to check our the Disabled Students' Community Hub.
Accessible Facilities
Inaccessible campus facilities can prevent students with disabilities from participating in academic and extra-curricular activites, from the layout of lecture halls to the absence of assistive technology, from overgrown pathways to dropped kerbs blocked by vehicles.
In Progress:
- Lobbying the university to improve its provision of blue badge parking bays near the students' union and Rootes Social Building.
- Creating an accessibility issue reporting tool for students to alert the SU and university to inaccessible facilities, resources and services.
- Lobbying the university to resolve ongoing accessibility issues, and to take proactive steps to prevent recurring issues.
- Updating the Venue Accessibility Guide, a directory of local venues and their accessibility, which clubs & societies (as well as friendship groups) can use when planning events.
In Place:
- Successfully lobbied the university to include Changing Places accredited toilets within the new Sports & Wellness Hub.
- Successfully lobbied the university to relocate Wellbeing Services to Senate House, closer to the centre of campus.
- Created an accessibility action plan for improving access within SU facilities, which now hold a silver Attitude is Everything award as a result.
- Run accessible campus tours for students, highlighting accessible routes around campus as well as the support and assistive features available.
Disability Sport
Sport can be inaccessible to people with disabilities, from facilities that don't meet people's accessibility needs to a lack of disability sport options.
In Progress:
- Featuring disability sport within the annual inter-university Varsity sport competition.
In Place:
- Successfully lobbied for Changing Places accredited toilets within the new Sports & Wellness Hub.
- Annual workshops for sports clubs to help them make their clubs more accessible to people with disabilities.
- Disability sport taster sessions within the annual Sports Day, and throughout the rest of the year, such as wheelchair basketball and wheelchair dance.
Disability Awareness Events
We observe national disability awareness dates such as:
- Time to Talk Day
- World Wheelchair Day
- Sign Language Week
- Autism Awareness Month
- Deaf Awareness Week
- University Mental Health Day
- Mental Health Awareness Week
- Diabetes Week
- Dyslexia Awareness Week
- World Cerebral Palsy Day
- World AIDS Day
Tackling Ableist Language
A lot of words and phrases hold ableist connotations, from 'crazy' and 'insane' to "being so OCD", whilst others are directly offensive.
In Progress:
- Launching the cross-liberation Consider Your Words campaign, providing people with alternative words and phrases to those which cause harm to our liberation communities.
In Place:
- Working with IATL to deliver a project with the aim of delivering bystander intervention education to all incoming students within four years, equipping students to call out ableist language and behaviour.
(In)Accessible University
Many university services & processes are inaccessible and difficult to navigate, including those that students are required to navigate when seeking support.
In Progress:
- Creating an accessibility issue reporting tool for students to alert the SU and university to inaccessible facilities, resources and services.
- Running accessible university focus groups and community-wide consultation in term 1 to inform the Accessible University research project.
- Lobbying the university to resolve ongoing accessibility issues, and to take proactive steps to prevent recurring issues.
- Lobbying the university to re-evaluate the circumstances in which they require medical certificates, to reduce the logistical and financial burden on students with disabilities.
Flexible Modes of Study
Flexible modes of study - such as part-time study or distance learning - can be beneficial to students at all levels of study, particularly for those with disabilities or parenting/caring responsibilities.
In Progress:
- Researching existing flexible study opportunities, at Warwick and within the HE sector.
- Lobbying the university to increase the number and diversity of flexible study opportunities.
- Lobbying the university to explore flexible modes of study with students as an alternative in some instances to temporary withdrawal.
If you'd like to get involved with the Disabled Students' Campaign, or would like to share your ideas for future campaigns with us email campaigns@warwicksu.com.