Disability History Month: Student Leader Spotlight

Some have seen sorrow; but there are fair days yet in store. What say you? - Van Helsing, Dracula (Chapter 18)

Hi guys!

Welcome to the Student Leader Spotlight, blog posts dedicated to uplifting and championing various stories from student leaders! Each story, opinion and background will be different and there’s joy in celebrating such unique experiences this Disability History Month!

I’ll be kicking this off with an introduction to myself! Claude!

A quick tangent: Classic for me to open with a quote from Dracula, but despite the books reputation, it’s a quote that I think encapsulates an important message - even when things are hard, there’s always something to find love, life and joy in. An important thing to remind ourselves of this month.

That aside, let’s get into this!

What does Disability History Month mean to you?

Representation is integral. No matter how small the action. DHM is a chance to celebrate the absolute joy you can find in community! We are here and we will be seen. DHM to me, is saying that we aren’t afraid to hide our identity, something that makes up a part of who we are. We should talk about it, this is a space and time to educate and share the stories and experiences of voices that have gone years unheard.

What would you like people to know about your disability?

So, for context: I have Dyslexia, ADHD and Dyspraxia (Currently in the process of an Autism Assessment also)

I think the biggest thing I wish people knew, is that being in Higher Education as a Disabled person really is harder than it seems on the surface. What might seem like a “basic” task to someone else, is something I really need to incentivise/push myself to do. I’ve got “reply to xyz” and “write that one email you’ve put off for a week now” on my to do list guys! I’m in the trenches!

Additionally, I feel like as a result of having to push yourself constantly to match your peers, we forget to really take in just how much work it really is. It’s easy to get swept up in the fast movement that is university, so I think it’s important to pause sometimes, appreciate how much you’ve done already! Be kind to yourself! You’re working a lot harder than you realise.

What could the university/SU do to improve the support/awareness for your disability?

I really appreciate a lot of what the university is already doing, but there’s always things that can be improved upon!

For example, I think the library’s Access For All resource is incredibly useful, having such an open catalogue of all the available access arrangements and resources is genuinely incredible and should be the baseline of support that we provide nationwide!

In terms of what I think could be done better? There’s a lot of things that could be said, but something that always stuck with me was a conversation I had with a friend, where they told me that they felt it was their fault that they had a disability. Uni is tough, but it really struck me to hear someone else verbalise this guilt/shame that comes with being different. I can imagine they weren’t the only person who felt like that and to some extent I know I feel similar. I think that’s something that isn’t talked about enough, providing a more open dialogue regarding accessibility and how to mitigate these barriers is crucial.

What’s something about the community that you’re proud of?

You’re always going to learn something new, meet someone new, there’s always a positive experience, memorable interaction or information you never expected to learn. It’s something that really makes you feel alive. It’s nothing grand or specific but that’s what I think community at it’s core really is. Experiences, memories and connectedness.

What’s your advice to other disabled students?

Keep being awesome! Tell your story and don’t let anyone dull your sparkle!

This is just one story of many, many others - if you’d like to share your say, please don’t hesitate to get in contact voice@su.rhul.ac.uk