Category Archives: Student Support and Wellbeing

Disability History Month – how we marked it at Kent in 2022

To decide how to celebrate and mark Disability History Month this year, members of Kent Union, staff and students from a variety of divisions, networks, and groups across the Medway and Canterbury campuses met frequently throughout the term to plan and collaborate. Sharing ideas and looking at how far we have come has been part of the process in continuing to think of new and inspiring ways not only to celebrate Disability History Month, but also to identify areas where there work is still needed to continue to grow and develop new inclusive ways to remove barriers.

Event highlights

Exhibition and film screening

Student Engagement and Communications Officer Natalia Crisanti and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Strategy, Planning, and Performance) Professor Georgina Randsley de Moura, introduced the screening of a number of short videos called ‘Our Stories’ (BSL interpreted) with students and staff, current and past, talking about their experiences of disability. The films emphasise considering and anticipating the seen and unseen needs of all, with people listening to one another carefully and understanding that each person is the authority on their own best conditions for thriving. With such a wealth of inspirational people at Kent it has been a great opportunity to take time to focus and reflect on our community and what disability means to us as a University. Janice Markey, Kent’s Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion notes that “the exhibition and screening [which took place on 6 December] are an inspiring impetus for us in our work to create an environment at Kent which is welcoming and inclusive for all”. For more on the screening and exhibition opening, read the blogpost summarising this event. You can also watch a 7 minute video version of the timeline (narrated, with closed captions), or read a slightly abridged version on Kent’s Disability History Month webpage.

Chloe Timms author talk
Former student Chloe Timms returned to Kent to give a talk on her debut novel ‘The Seawomen’ (2022). Chloe discussed about how she became a published author alongside the challenges of being a disabled writer. To find out more about her professional journey, visit Chloe Timms’ blog.

Chloe Timms with her book. Woman seated in wheelchair, with blonde hair and pink jacked. Book titled 'The Seawoman' on the table in front of her.

Research and career opportunities

Also this month was an opportunity for one of our PhD students to showcase her research with a Virtual Reality Wheelchair Driving Experience, and the Careers and Employability Service hosted a number of online groups for students, including workshops on how to ask for adjustments in the workplace, and sessions on the Change 100 internship scheme, which offers paid summer work placements for students with disabilities.

Finger casting workshop

On the topic of health and wellbeing, a finger casting workshop was held where participants could let their artistic sides show through creating their own finger sculpture and foil embossed artwork. The idea was to encourage awareness and connection with the body through creativity.

Group of students seated at a table with craft activities.

Millie Knight – sports champion talk

Kent Union’s focus was on creating opportunities for students to come together and learn from each other. Their events included plant pot painting and a talk from former student, and four-time Paralympic skiing medallist and Karate world champion, Millie Knight. Thomas Freeston, Vice President of Welfare and Community was Kent Union’s lead on DHM, and reflected on the month as an “opportunity to celebrate the achievements of people living with a disability and also raise awareness”.

Group of people standing in front of a banner, holding medals.

What’s next? Let’s shape tomorrow together…

Of course, opportunities for discussion and progress are not limited to Disability History Month. You can get involved in many different ways throughout the year. Perhaps through the Staff Disability Network and Student Accessibility Network. Please contact EqualityAndDiversity@kent.ac.uk if you would like to share any ideas or feedback about this year’s disability history month or disability provision in general.

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Did you know that Student Support and Wellbeing (SSW) advisers can help students set up the support they need at any time during their studies? Check out this guide on Seeking Support from SSW for more information.

Follow #DHMKent22 and #InclusiveKent on social media for the latest, and if you would like to contribute your experience and perspective to conversations, podcasts or articles on this theme, please email StudentServicesWeb@kent.ac.uk.

Written by Maddy Kendall, Joshua Stevens and Natalia Crisanti, Student Services, 13.12.22

Disability History Month – how we marked it at Kent in 2022

Event highlights

Exhibition and film screening

Student Engagement and Communications Officer Natalia Crisanti and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Strategy, Planning, and Performance) Professor Georgina Randsley de Moura, introduced the screening of a number of short videos called ‘Our Stories’ (BSL interpreted) with students and staff, current and past, talking about their experiences of disability. The films emphasise considering and anticipating the seen and unseen needs of all, with people listening to one another carefully and understanding that each person is the authority on their own best conditions for thriving. With such a wealth of inspirational people at Kent it has been a great opportunity to take time to focus and reflect on our community and what disability means to us as a University. Janice Markey, Kent’s Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion notes that “the exhibition and screening [which took place on 6 December] are an inspiring impetus for us in our work to create an environment at Kent which is welcoming and inclusive for all”. For more on the screening and exhibition opening, read the blogpost summarising this event. You can also watch a video version of the timeline (narrated, with closed captions), or read a slightly abridged version on Kent’s Disability History Month webpage.

Research and career opportunities

Finger casting workshop

On the topic of health and wellbeing, a finger casting workshop was held whereby participants could let their artistic sides show through creating their own finger sculpture and foil embossed artwork. The idea was to encourage awareness and connection with the body through creativity.

Millie Knight – sports champion talk

What’s next? Let’s shape tomorrow together…

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Written by Maddy Kendall, Joshua Stevens and Natalia Crisanti, Student Services, 13.12.22

Our Stories: Disability History Month exhibition and films

It was wonderful to welcome students, staff and members of the local community to an exhibition and film screening event on Tuesday 6th December in the Marlowe building on Canterbury campus.

Our Stories: Exhibition

Disability History Month is about amplifying the voices of disabled people, looking back at how things have changed over time, and being realistic and open about how much more progress we’ve yet to make as an institution and as a society.  As part of Kent’s Disability History Month celebrations, university staff from various departments worked together to research, create and display a 16 panel timeline depicting shifting attitudes and improved provision and communication about disability throughout Kent’s history to date.

Eve Wilson, former staff member, standing under the panel where she is pictured as one of the first disability advisers to work at the University of Kent in the 1970s.

People seated and standing looking at the hanging panels in the timeline.

People talking and looking at books and written materials displayed in the exhibition.

Our Stories: Films

After a reception in the Marlowe foyer, guests were invited into the lecture theatre to watch a screening of a series of short films made for this year’s Disability History Month at Kent called ‘Our Stories’ which is now available on YouTube. The 8 short films (27 minutes in total) are captioned and include British Sign Language, and feature students, former students and staff talking about their lived experiences of disability and what they wish others understood about living with seen and unseen disabilities to help everyone be more inclusive. The exhibition also features quotes from the film participants, many of whom were present to see their contributions to this project on the big screen with friends, family and colleagues.

The exhibition is up in the Marlowe building foyer until 16 December and everyone is welcome to go in and take a look at the timeline panels, as well as reading materials and a sculpture on display. Every item in the exhibition is audio described so can be accessed online via SoundCloud, and via QR codes on each item displayed in the physical exhibition. If you missed the event or would like to revisit the information, you can watch a video version of the timeline (narrated, with closed captions), or read a slightly abridged version on Kent’s Disability History Month webpage.

When discussing accessibility and provision at Kent there is a lot to be proud of, and yet we know there a lot that remains to fix, improve, change and grow. As stated by Deputy Vice Chancellor Georgina Ransley de Moura who was introducing the films at the screening event: ‘We know that needs and desires change over time as does the research, knowledge and technology which move on to facilitate that change. In our work at Kent, we recognise the importance of both the large scale strategic actions and the power of thousands of community members making small incremental changes in attitudes, behaviour and actions.’

We hope that the work that continues throughout Disability History Month and beyond continues to increase knowledge and inspire further improvement. The conversations we participated in and witnessed at this event showed there is a real appetite for a revolution of honesty and openness about who we are and how our bodies and brains work – where people can bring their whole selves to their workplace and their studies, where we can speak frankly about our physical and psychological needs, boldly claiming what we need to thrive and be well, and relate to one another positively.

If you have any feedback, or want to share your views or your experiences to help us shape that future at Kent, please do contact us at EqualityAndDiversity@kent.ac.uk.

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Written by Natalia Crisanti, Student Services, 07.12.22

Trans inclusion and support at Kent

What does it mean to be Transgender or Trans?

Transgender, or Trans, is as an umbrella term to describe people whose gender is not the same as, or does not sit comfortably with, the sex they were assigned at birth. Someone who is trans may identify as (not limited to) transgender, non-binary, or genderqueer.

Support for trans students at Kent

There is a Trans Support Group in Canterbury that meets twice a month. It is open to trans, intersex and non-binary people at Kent. The group is run by trans/non-binary people for trans/non-binary people. Family and partners are welcome.

We have gender neutral toilet facilities across our campuses, and these facilities will increase as building improvements and construction takes place.

Student Support and Wellbeing offer mental health support, counselling and peer support groups to all students and have an advisor with specialist LGBTQ+ support knowledge. You can also check out our LGBTQ+ self-help resource section online.

You can also update your gender and preferred name (which shows on your Microsoft Teams account) on KentVision.

How can you be a good ally to trans people?

Cisgender, or Cis, describes someone whose gender identity is the same as the sex they were assigned to at birth.

There are lots of simple ways you can become a better ally and show support to trans colleagues, such as:

Updating your pronouns on your email signature, Zoom screen and Teams profile. Include a link to a website such as mypronouns.org for people to find out more.
Wear one of our new Rainbow lanyards. These are designed around the ‘Inclusion Flag’ which incorporates the Pride rainbow flag with pink, blue, brown and black, representing the trans community and people of colour within the LGBT+ community.
Familiarise yourself with policies, guidance and terminology.

Here are more ways you can be a good ally.

LGBTQ+ student groups at Kent

The LGBTQ+ Student Network acts as a voice for LGBTQ+ students to both the University and the Students’ Union and helps to ensure informed decisions are made on a practical and strategic level as well as planning events and networking opportunities for students. Email the Student Network if you are interested in joining.

You can also join the student LGBTQ+ Society at Canterbury and the Medway LGBTQ Society, a safe space for students of marginalised gender identities and sexualities to socialise and meet other like-minded individuals. Make friends and develop your support network.