Have you perhaps felt frustrated during the pandemic when you can’t always get into your favourite shops and restaurants, you can’t travel as easily, it takes so much more planning to make what is ordinarily a simple trip because of considering queues or capacity? Many disabled people living in the UK have this experience daily, and UK Disability History Month (DHM) is an opportunity to challenge disablism and think about what steps we need to achieve equality.

Throughout the rest of November and December, the University of Kent is celebrating DHM with workshops, talks, films and resources. These have been curated for students and staff to challenge their own perceptions of disability and enhance their understanding and awareness. The theme for this year is ‘Access: How far have we to come? How far have we to go?’  Check out Kent Union’s webpage for the full calendar of scheduled events for UKDHM, or follow #DHMKent2020 on social media for updates on what’s coming next.

At Kent, we provide disability support to students who need it in the form of 1:1 support from disability advisers, mentors and tutors, as well as peer support groups and social activities. We have an active student-led accessibility network, and collaborating with students, staff and Kent Union, we want to continue to strive to make Kent an accessible environment to learn, live and socialise, both physically and digitally.

Disability History Month is one month of the year, but let’s remember that we need to take positive action all year round to ensure that Kent is an inclusive environment for all students, staff and visitors. DHM is an opportunity to take a bit of time to listen to one another’s experiences, to consider what each of us can do to better meet the needs of people with invisible and visible disabilities, and to take that energy forward to continually improve the University and community experience – for every single person studying and working at Kent. Please check out the DHM programme, be part of a positive change, and help us #MakeKentAccessible.