UK Disability History Month 2024: get involved

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To mark UK Disability History Month, we’re highlighting initiatives and support available to all staff, ways you can get involved and some of the success stories from teams who are helping to make the University a more inclusive place.

Running from 14 November to 20 December 2024, this year’s theme is Disability Livelihood and Employment, and reflects our commitment to creating an inclusive and accessible environment where everyone feels supported and valued. Below you’ll find a range of resources and ways to get involved. 

Equality information 

Did you know it only takes a few minutes to update your equality data in People and Money? Providing this information helps us to improve inclusivity and help create a more positive and fulfilling working environment for everyone. This information is confidential and won’t be shared with your line manager. Even by responding ‘prefer not to say’ you are helping to inform decision-making for equality, diversity and inclusion. 

  • Scroll to the Biographical Information section and click the pencil icon to edit 
  • Click “HESA Disability 1” and select an option from the drop-down menu 
  • You can choose to ‘Prefer not to say’. 
  • Proceed to HESA Disability 2 and so on only if you have more than one disability to record. 

Update your disability information here 

Assistive technology 

The University provides assistive technology and support to help all staff. This includes specific assistive hardware and software, accessible computers and a loan service for devices. You can also access training and advice to help everyone use these resources effectively. 

Assistive Technology software and loan service 

Resource list 

Colleagues from the Library Collections Services Team, Staff Disabled Network and the Staff Disability Advice Service have worked together to created a resource list featuring books, articles and audio recordings that celebrate and explore themes related to disability. 

Disability resource list 

University support for disabled staff 

The University offers extensive training programmes to improve inclusivity for disabled staff. These include training courses for managers, such as Inclusion Essentials, Equality Impact Assessments, Neurodiversity and much more. Managers can also find specific guidance to better support their teams. 

Staff Training Resources | Equality, Diversity and Inclusion 

Disabled Staff Network 

The Disabled Staff Network is a hub for all disabled staff members, including neurodivergent colleagues. It’s a safe place for discussing disability-related issues, sharing support and shaping the University’s approach to inclusivity. 

Disabled Staff Network 

Staff Disability Advice Service 

The Staff Disability Advice Service provides confidential support and guidance to colleagues who are disabled, deaf, and/or neurodivergent. The service provides support to staff and their line managers, sharing information about potential reasonable adjustments in the workplace. 

The service can also help with applications to Access to Work, a government fund run by the Department for Work and Pensions to support disabled people in work. 

The University does not require any medical proof of a disability to access advice and support from the SDAS. 

Access the Staff Disability Advice Service 

Request practical support from Occupational Health Services 

Related links 

UK Disability History Month 

Social model of disability