Every the NUS SWD Campaign runs priority campaigns based upon the conference mandates. This year there are 3 priority campaigns. It is only through students, Officers and Unions getting truly involved in the campaigns can we make them work and be successful so please do get involved and make this year a great one for the NUS SWD Campaign.

Don’t Diss My Ability
It is not in the dictionary but you will find disablism everywhere. Disabled people face barriers to equality in all aspects of their lives. Because of this many people do not identify themselves as disabled because of the stigma and discrimination that still exists around disability. This campaign will work hard to get rid of disablism and campaign for equal rights and access for all students with disabilities, empowering them to stand up and say that they are disabled and proud, to give them some disability pride.

It will campaign to have disabled people on TV, radio, and in films and books. Cool characters in cool situations that will lend a bit of cool to disability because we believe that until we have a bit more pride in which we are as a community then media, in all its platforms, will likely continue to refer to disabled people as if they were alien children drip-fed by the voluntary sector.

The campaign will raise awareness of the many different disabilities, how disabled people have a huge contribution to make to society and how to involve ALL students with disabilities, including post graduates and international students in Students’ unions, education and society.

Activate
Lack of access denies disabled people opportunities in education, employment, leisure, housing and even voting in local and general elections - activities most people take for granted.

Students with disabilities have a right to engage in all areas of further and higher education including their Students’ Union, having a social life, playing sport, being part of a club & society.

This campaign will raise awareness of the issues that students with disabilities still face even though the disability discrimination act has been passed and is now in place. It will campaign for Students’ Unions to ensure that they are accessible from their elections through to their venues. It will encourage students with disabilities to get involved in all areas of further and higher education.

The campaign will work closely with other organisations and hold different events throughout the year including a SWD sports day, workshops on how to make your bars and venues accessible and also run the Freshers Free to Pee Campaign.

The campaign will also include Students’ Unions to get SWD involved by creating SWD Officers on their executive committees ensuring that SWD are properly represented.

Sexual RevaLOOation
Disabled people and sex- not something really that is talked about or thought about but maybe it is time that it was. It is time that it stopped being the great taboo that it is and for non-disabled people realised that us disabled people have sexual thoughts and feelings too and that we have a right to a sexually fulfilling relationship, sex education etc. just like non- disabled people. That is why the NUS SWD Campaign is running the Sexual RevoLOOution campaign.

Have you ever thought about how a young man with cerebral parsley who is getting frisky with his partner actually puts a condom on? So what do they do? Surely SWD have a right to sex and protection without embarrassment or getting others involved as it were?

What about the fact that there are no sanitary products or condoms in accessible toilets. Does that therefore mean those women in wheelchairs don’t have periods or that people in wheelchairs don’t have sex or need to have protected sex? These are all things that maybe you haven’t thought of but maybe you need to. We will be campaigning for every Union to get condom and sanitary machines installed in their accessible toilets. If they are in the male and female toilets why not the accessible ones?

Society doesn’t really like to think of SWD as sexually people. Well we are and it is about time that we had the same rights to sexual education, protection etc. as everyone else and it is about time that the taboo of disabled people and sex was actually talked about. That is what this campaign is all about. Get the issue of students with disabilities our there in the open campaigning for the fact that we are just as body beautiful as non-disabled people and campaigning for our rights.

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