We had one here for several years which operated very much
as you describe. It was a registered association of the
Student Union and received some funds for administration,
events etc. To kick it into life I canvassed all
our disabled students and received positive feedback about
the concept. I then invited them all to a meeting at which
we had a speaker (as most of our disabled group were
dyslexic, it was a senior science teacher from a local
school who had fought his way through the system without
support, not realising he was dyslexic until one of his
children was diagnosed) and the society was set up from
that date.
The group had very positive input to the development of
publicity materials, attended SKILL/NUS conferences, hosted
awareness-raising events on campus and also by
video-conferenced links, etc. One chair of the group
even set up a regular newsletter which was distributed on
campus. The students gained a great deal of personal/moral
support from their peers, as well as a broader
understanding of issues surrounding disabled students - not
just their own problem. They learned from each other and
had the strength of the group if there was an issue that
needed resolving.
Sadly, pressure of work (on students and staff) and changes
in student personnel led to its demise and it has proved
difficult to reconstitute the group. With all student-led
groups this is a problem - when the enthusiasts go, things
can drop into the doldrums for a bit, until another keen
person emerges. And not everyone wants to be seen as part
of a homogenous "disabled" group - preferring to be seen
as an individual and not recognised because of the
disability.
However, there can be a lot gained, so good luck!
--
Eleanor Drummond
Heriot-Watt University
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