Disabled and dyslexic students hold a week of campaigning to raise awareness

The Disabled and Dyslexic Students’ Forum (DDSF) are holding an Awareness Week aiming to reduce discrimination through better understanding of the issues facing disabled students.

DDSF are running a stall and organising a variety of activities from Monday, November 17, to Sunday, November 23, in the Union of Students.

They put on a special film screening of Snow Cake, covering autism and the approaches to the condition, and a disability awareness training event for societies today at 12.30pm in the Satpal Ram Learning Centre.

The week is intended to promote awareness of areas of the Union building and activities that are inaccessible to disabled students, and highlight the prejudice towards disability that occurs every day.

Additionally it was to show that there are many forms of disability aside from physical impairment and to encourage Union staff, societies, and committees to gain a greater understanding of working with disabled students.

Chris Jesson, Students with Disabilities councillor and chair of DDSF, said: "It’s extremely important to increase disability awareness across the University because it is often misrepresented.

"Society does not pay enough attention towards this and there aren’t the appropriate facilities available for those with a mental health condition."

DDSF are working with NUS Disabled Students and the charity Mental Health Matters on the NUS campaign ‘Mental Health Stigma’.

The campaign follows findings by Harvard Medical School (HMS) that one in four adults will experience a mental health problem within the course of a year and that nearly half of all adults meet the HMS criteria for some type of mental disorder during their life.

These can take a variety of forms, from anxiety and mood disorders, to substance abuse and self-harm.

Most people who suffer from a mental disorder receive poor treatment, if they receive any at all, as many still do not believe they are legitimate illnesses.

Of those who are diagnosed, 55 per cent do not tell anyone out of fear of discrimination.

Throughout Disability Awareness Week and beyond, DDSF are working to reduce the stigma of mental disorders which can itself intensify the problem.

The week is particularly looking at the role of Union societies and how they can better cater for students with disabilities through training on approaching and working with disabled members.

DDSF encourage the role of tact in conversation and the training session for societies will ask for responses on how they would deal with certain scenarios involving a disabled student, with advice on the appropriate methods.

"It is particularly important that we promote to students what we do - communication between DDSF and societies and committees is something I want to improve substantially as this seems a grey area," said Jesson.

He added: "We should be one of the first ports of call should such organisations be considering the interests of students with disabilities."

Throughout the week, DDSF has been raising awareness of strobe lighting’s effects on students with photosensitive epilepsy.

A petition to campaign to prevent exclusion of these people by cutting out the strobe lighting on Union club nights has been distributed around the Union.

DDSF will continue to organise events throughout this academic year to further awareness of the issues surrounding disability, with the next one being International Persons with Disabilities Day on Wednesday, December 3.

The society meets every Wednesday at 5.30pm in the Moors meeting room in the Union.

Next week, the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) society are holding their campaigns week.

Jennie Hurwood