Candidate for the position of Disabled Students' Officer
Building a strong and exceptionally inclusive community for disabled students.
Hiya all!
My name is Clara Edden and I am a Mental Health Nursing student here at UWE. Disability rights are something very close to my heart; ensuring that disabled students here at UWE are fully supported to get the best university experience.
One of the most prevalent issues among students in recent years is mental health which is confirmed in a recent study by the NUS. This found that 78% of students reported suffering from a mental health problem within the last year and 54% of these stated that they didn't seek help due to not knowing how to gain support from their university.
Here at UWE we have services specifically tailored to supporting the health and wellbeing of students, as well as additional academic support. Although those who have accessed these services rate 'very good’ satisfaction, I believe more can be done to highlight the available services, both within the university and wider areas of Bristol. This is something I am particularly passionate about increasing awareness of.
My primary goal if elected as Disabled student’s officer is to create a community among disabled students by introducing a buddy system. I envisage this to be a network of peer support, involving current students who identify as disabled buddying up with new students to offer support with setting up disability services, dealing with DSA applications and finding out about additional support and funding.
I would also like to create a support group for those in the LGBT+ community, given that nationally 55% of students who did not identify as heterosexual reported experiencing mental health illness in the last year. This evidences that specialised support should be available to at risk groups, something that I feel is currently lacking at UWE.
I am also keen to explore ways students can get involved in reducing stigma surrounding mental health. According to the NHS(2011), attitudes towards supporting and facilitating mental illness has decreased over the previous 20 years. I would like to initiate a peer education system where current UWE students can run workshops in further education colleges and secondary schools in the Bristol area to start bringing disability knowledge into the education system, and raising awareness to reduce future stigma.
A vote for me is a vote for bringing your community together to support and raise awareness for people with disabilities.
Clara Edden.