Love Is…

Fair & Equal access and rights for disabled people

Just in case you didn’t realise Valentine’s Day is coming. Ok big deal you might be thinking. Well this Valentine’s Day the NUS SWD Campaign hopes that you do make a big deal out of Valentine’s Day because our Love Is campaign is based around it. Yes we are asking you to send a Valentine’s postcard to your MP.

But it is not just any old acrd. We have produced a number of Valentine’s postcards that you can send. On the front they have a lovely heart made of roses but on the back it is asking for your MP to vote in favour of the disability discrimination bill and to commit to getting rid of disablism. The postcard asks that this valentine’s day disabled people be put back at the heart of society.

As you might be able to tell I’m quite excited especially because of February 3rd we are asking people to come down to London and lobby their MP around the bill and hand them postcards personally.

But you know something I really hope that this campaign doesn’t just stop at people sending postcards to MPs. I think that it has the potential to be a really good campaign and that on valentine’s day the Love Is theme could be a really effective way to raise awareness around disability (ok I would say that- I devised the campaign!!!) But just think on Valentine’s Day you could put up posters (a master is available on www.nusonline.co.uk), get students to sign postcards, get a giant Valentine’s card sent from your Union to Maria Eagle (the Minster for disabled people- www.disability.gov.uk), do a huge interactive petition (a bit like the wall of debt) with students signing cut out red/pink hearts and sticking them onto huge card/poster.

Hopefully these ideas will start discussions going with your students but also make people realise why the disability discrimination bill is important and why in the 21st century we still need to campaign for equal access and rights for disabled people. The NUS SWD campaign will be getting people to sign large valentine’s cards at regional conferences to send from NUS to Maria Eagle. If you also go to www.nusonline.co.uk you’ll find a briefing to help you with your campaigning, a PowerPoint presentation and a model poster for you to print off. We have also got postcards to send to you so get in touch and I can send you the fax back form (it was in the last mailing).

So this is a request from little old me- please do campaign round this, this Valentine’s day and please do let us know what you are up to. If you would like to know more or need any help then just get in touch.

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