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Disability Rights

Supporting Disabled Students

Disabled men are three times less likely to attain qualifications than non-disabled men, based on Office of National Statistics data. 2019’s National Student Survey found that disabled students are slightly less satisfied with their course and wider learning experience than their non-disabled counterparts (81.4 per cent compared with 84.3 per cent). Disabled graduates are also less likely to progress onto highly skilled employment or postgraduate study (ONS data shows a 1.8 percentage point gap for full-time students graduating in 2017).

This is massively impacting Hallam students, with 19.8% identifying themselves to us as disabled. 

Latest Updates

For this campaign we're looking at what institutional changes we can create at Hallam. With such a large number of our cohort identifying as disabled (19.8%), we need to make sure that Hallam is as accessible and inclusive as possible. So, this is what we have planned: 

  • Disabled Student Rights Policy - Dayo, our SSA College Officer, is currently amending a policy that will go through our Union council to continue the mandated support for Disabled student rights at Hallam. 
  • Inclusive Practice Lobbying - Once the policy is passed through Union Council we will be leading on a campaign to get Inclusive practice as compulsory in delivery of teaching & support to students. Inclusive practice covers everything from subtitling recorded content to providing notes prior to teaching content. By having inclusive practice as our norm, we will be able to keep learning accessible and make sure that disabled student needs are met. 
  • Disability Rights Guide - A major issue facing Disabled students is ableism and discrimination. So, we're releasing a guide that will go over all the rights & adjustments that disabled people are legally required, as well as challenging ableism & reporting discrimination. 
  • International student access to Disability Services Guide - International students are significantly less like to access Disability services than home students. This means that hundreds of students aren't getting the support they need to complete their studies. We'll be creating a guide that outlines the process, goes over cultural different and breaks down definitions & concepts. Watch this space for its release!
  • Check out the Universtiy's Listening Rooms: Neurodiversity Project. The Neurodiversity Project is one of the Listening Rooms Projects. It aims to promote a more inclusive university environment by asking neurodivergent students to share their experiences with their friends in a safe environment. Neurodivergence includes ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism, Asperger’s, epilepsy, OCD, bipolar and more… Participants do not need to disclose their neurodivergence to SHU or more widely. They also do not need to have an official diagnosis. They can be self-diagnosed. All the information that will be collected will be confidential, and all names will be removed before analysis. If you would like to participate, please email listeningrooms@shu.ac.uk with reference LRND22STUDENT, and a member from our team will get in touch with you. You and your friend will each receive a £20 voucher for participation!

Contact Us & Get Involved

Want to run a campaign about being disabled or disability rights? Get in touch with the Student Rights and Campaigns team.

Student Rights and Campaigns team can be contacted at studentrights@shu.ac.uk.

Related Resources