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As part of the EDI annual report 2022-23, the University of Sunderland show how they have supported disability and wellbeing equality.
We've partnered with AccessAble to ensure that our campuses are fully accessible for all of our staff, students and visitors. AccessAble provides detailed access guides for the rooms and spaces on our campus so that people can plan their journeys accordingly to and around the University. The plans include 100% facts, figures and photographs to take the stress and anxiety out of visiting a new building or place.
Disability History Month took place from Wednesday 16 November until Friday 16 December 2022. The month included International HIV/Aids Day, International Day of People with Disabilities and International Human Rights Day. The theme for 2022 is Disability, Health and Wellbeing.
During this month, we took time to recognise the history of the struggle for equality and human rights for people with disabilities. Our Enable Staff Network meets online on a monthly basis to discuss disability and long-term health conditions. The network posted a blog on medical gaslighting included lived experiences from members of staff across the University. They also ran an awareness training session on hidden disability, identity and wellbeing.
After undergoing brain surgery, David aged 34, came to Sunderland to study Social Work so that he could give back to others.
Read more about David's story
BA Media and Production student, Chrissy Cameron, won Gold for Best Presenter at this year’s Student Radio Awards with the Radio 1 Christmas presenting gig being part of the prize.
Read more about Chrissy's story
After years of different types of therapies herself, Sue Devine, Sunderland student, creates her first solo art exhibition on mental health stigmas.
Read more about Sue's story
The University has been a Positive Allies Charter Mark holder for over five years and we are proud of being the first university to receive this award. This is a recognition of our commitment to creating an inclusive environment where everyone with HIV feels safe, respected, and valued in our community.
This year, to raise awareness of the importance of HIV testing, our EDI team placed posters all around City Campus. They also attended the SU's Rainbow Day event to hand out these informative leaflets on why people should get tested!
We also took advantage of World Aids Day in December to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS and ran some online sessions to increase awareness and reduce stigmas.
In November 2022, we became the first university in the UK to sign the University Friendly Recovery Pledge and to commit to support students in recovery.
Our EDI manager, Justine Gillespie created a roundtable discussion with the Marketing and Communications lead at Recovery Connection and Health and Social Care student Sarah, who is running the recovery support groups and talking about her own experiences of recovery.
We hosted a Deaf Awareness Seminar informing staff about the barriers faced by the deaf community and how to learn British sign language.
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Academics have shared the impact and importance of Alzheimer's research with the public at one of the region's greatest visitor attractions.
Covid-19 has amplified feelings of impostor syndrome so we set up an online session 'Am I good enough?' - Navigating the Impostor Phenomenon.
Celebrated in June, our Enable network shared stories of their experiences with Diabetes and we also ran a diabetes awareness session!
Equality, diversity and inclusion is considered highly when planning and delivering activities for schools and colleges. This year we've built strong foundations to improve our offer and increase accessibility including our First Choice Progression Scheme. This included:
Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Justine Gillespie was joined by Senior Lecturer in Psychology Dr. Amy Pearson, where they discussed the many difficulties autistic people face in day to day life. This included myths and misconceptions surrounding autism, advice for parents, colleagues and friends of neurodiverse people and the support available at Sunderland for students.
Kudz, university student-turned-lecturer survives skin cancer and two kidney transplants and makes it his mission to transform lives.
Read more about about Kudz's story
Kamelia Nouar, living with Cerebral Palsy, collects First-Class Honours degree in Business and Management despite the odds.
Read more about about Kamelia's story
Our London Campus has made continuous efforts to ensure that it's accessible and inclusive. The location of the building was specifically chosen to be close to public transport and to ensure it has Blue Badge parking. The internal design has also ensured there are quiet spaces for neurodiverse students.
Service for Students have installed "drop kerbs" to buildings for wheelchair users and have purchased wheelchairs exclusively for student use. They're also partnering with AccessAble to ensure the campus is inclusive of all.
London continues to seek new ways of improving their accessibility on campus.
For University Mental Health Day, London had a whole-campus approach where they delivered events for both staff and students. This involved sleep and breathwork sessions, resilience workshops, navigating financial wellbeing sessions and more. They also had all students attend a Kindness Masterclass to create a kinder culture for students and to themselves.
For Inclusion Week, their Disability Advisor commissioned a presentation in support of neurodiversity awareness to provide everyone with the tools to better support these students and help break the stigma.
We welcome feedback on equality, diversity, and inclusion.
Please contact our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team, inclusion@sunderland.ac.uk or the Students' Union at yoursu@sunderland.ac.uk.