Summer 05

1) Don't Diss My Ability
It is not in the dictionary, but you will find 'disablism' everywhere. Disabled people face barriers to equality in all aspects of their lives. Many people do not identify themselves as disabled because of the stigma and discrimination that still exists in our society. This campaign will work hard to get rid of disablism and campaign for equal rights and access for all students with disabilities, empowering them to stand up and say that they are disabled and proud, to give them some disability pride.

It will campaign to have disabled people on TV, radio, and in films and books. Cool characters in cool situations that will lend a bit of cool to disability. We believe that until we have a bit more disability pride then the media, in all its platforms, will continue to refer to disabled people as if they were ‘alien children’, drip-fed by the voluntary sector.

The campaign will raise awareness of the many different disabilities, how disabled people have a huge contribution to make to society, and how to involve ALL students with disabilities, including post-graduates and international students in Students' Unions, education and society.                                                       Back to top

2) Activate
Lack of access denies disabled people opportunities in education, employment, leisure, housing and even voting in local and general elections - activities most people take for granted. Students with disabilities have a right to engage in all areas of Further and Higher Education including their Students' Union, having a social life, playing sport and being part of clubs and societies.

This campaign will raise awareness of the issues that students with disabilities still face, even though the Disability Discrimination Act has been passed and is now in place. It will campaign for Students' Unions to ensure that they are totally accessible, from their elections through to their venues. It will encourage students with disabilities to get involved in all areas of Further and Higher Education.

The campaign will work closely with other organisations and hold different events throughout the year including a SWD sports day, workshops on how to make your bars and venues accessible and also run the Freshers ‘Free to Pee’ Campaign.

The campaign will also continue to strongly encourage Students' Unions to get SWD-involved by creating SWD Officers on their Executive committees, ensuring that students with disabilities are properly represented.                          Back to top

3) Sexual RevaLOOation
Disabled people having sex – it’s not something really talked about in society, but maybe it’s time that it was. We believe it’s time that sex stopped being the great taboo that it is, and for everyone to realise that disabled people have sexual thoughts and feelings too. We have a right to a sexually fulfilling relationship, sex education etc. just like non-disabled people. That is why the NUS SWD Campaign is running the Sexual RevoLOOution campaign.

Have you ever thought about how a young man with cerebral palsy, who is getting frisky with his partner, actually puts a condom on? So what do they do? Surely students with disabilities have a right to sex and protection without embarrassment, and without getting others involved, as it were?

What about the fact that there are no sanitary products or condoms in accessible toilets? Does that mean, therefore, women in wheelchairs don't have periods? Or that people in wheelchairs don't have sex? Or, indeed, need to have protected sex? These are all things that maybe you haven't thought of but certainly need to. We will be campaigning for every Union to get condom and sanitary machines installed in their accessible toilets. If they are in the male and female toilets, why not the accessible ones?

Society doesn't really like to think of students with disabilities as sexually-active people. Well we are, and it is about time that we had the same rights to sexual education, protection and so on as everyone else. It is also about time that the taboo of disabled people and sex was actually talked about. Get the issue of students with disabilities out there in the open, campaigning for the fact that we are just as ‘body beautiful’ as non-disabled people and campaigning for our rights.                                                                                                    Back to top

Disability Equality Duty (DED)
New laws from December 2006 will place a duty on public bodies to promote disability equality. This will affect all public bodies - from Local Councils to Government departments, and from Universities to hospitals.

The Disability Equality Duty will require the public sector to actively promote disability equality, and is similar to the duty to promote race equality under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act. This is a positive duty which builds-in disability equality at the beginning of the process, rather than makes adjustments at the end. It will bring about a shift from a legal framework which relies on individual disabled people complaining about discrimination, to one in which the public sector becomes a proactive agent of change. The NUS SWD Campaign will keep you up to date on the DED and how it will impact your Union and your institution.                   Back to top