On 3 December, every year, the United Nations commemorates International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). The day aims to promote the rights and freedoms of all persons with disabilities and raise awareness of critical issues relating to disability inclusion in society.

This year’s theme is ‘Fostering disability-inclusive societies for advancing social progress’. It is a reminder that advancing social development and accelerating progress on poverty, employment and social inclusion is impossible without the inclusion of persons with disabilities. Some of the barriers faced by people with disabilities include limited access to work, lower wages, lack of access to assistive technologies, and lack of autonomy, care and dignity within support services, among others.

At the University of Sussex, we continue to work towards becoming a more accessible, equitable and inclusive place of work and study.

The University is a member of the Business Disability Forum (BDF), a leading business membership organisation within disability inclusion. All staff have access to the BDF’s Knowledge Hub by registering with their Sussex email address. Managers and those in HR can contact BDF’s confidential Advice Service. We encourage all staff to make use of the support and resources available through the BDF.

Resources and Support for Students

• Find out about the help available for disabled students, students who are neurodivergent, students with a learning difficulty or ongoing physical or mental health conditions. Information for students is available on the Disability Advice page and the Student Hub for health, support and wellbeing services available at Sussex. 
• To find out more about accessibility on campus, visit the Using Campus Facilities Page.
• Students can also find out more about reasonable adjustments for assessment, teaching and exceptional circumstances. 
• For more disability advice and support, visit the Student Union, Students with Disabilities page

Resources and Support for Staff

• All staff are required to complete Disability Awareness, the mandatory disability e-learning module on LearnUpon. The course aims to support all staff in their knowledge and engagement with disabled staff and students. It is informed by those with lived experience of disability and highlights our legal obligations towards disabled staff, students and visitors under the Equality Act 2010.

• The university’s Workplace Adjustments Toolkit provides guidance for staff and managers on removing barriers and empowering disabled staff to fulfil their potential.

• The Staff Disability Network is for Sussex staff who self-identify as having a disability. The network hosts termly drop-ins, offers email support and a Teams channel for peer-to-peer connection. If you would like to join the network or would like further information, you can contact the network by emailing staffdisabilitynetwork@sussex.ac.uk
• The Neurodiversity Staff Support Network aims to support staff (including Doctoral Researchers, Faculty and Professional Services) who identify with neurodivergence or are curious about neurodivergence. If you would like to join the staff network or would like further information about the network, please email the co-chairs at ndstaffnetwork_admin@sussex.ac.uk.
• If you or someone else has experienced behaviours such as bullying, harassment, a hate incident, sexual violence, domestic abuse or discrimination, you can let us know using this Report and Support Tool.  

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