Intro:

This toolkit exists to support you in making your activity just that little bit more accessible. We all came to university to expand our knowledge, or get skilled for a certain career but we didn't all have the same journey getting here, and that can affect how we engage with student projects, activities or sports teams.

What this kit will cover:

Different barriers students might face trying to get involved with your activity.

How we can challenge some of those barriers. How to challenge problematic behaviour.

Some Terms:

Liberation: "The seeking of equal status and freedom from all forms of oppression" - NUS Liberation Campaign.

Accessibility: the quality of being easily reached, entered, or used by people who have a disability.

Privilege: privilege is the perceived rights or advantages that are assumed to be available only to a particular

 

Liberation Groups

Everyone can potentially face obstacles at university, but certain groups of people could face further issues due to facets of their identity they have no control over.

There are common issues these groups share such as; under representation in society/ team leadership, damaging stereotypes, phobic behaviours aimed at them. this section explore the barriers some of these groups may have accessing student activities. Each list is not exhaustive. Make sure you have honest discussions with your members about their needs.

Disabled

Disabled students are those having a physical or mental condition that limits their movements, senses, or activities.

• Prolonged physical activities without breaks. Inaccessible Venues in regards to entry and also lighting.
• Society/Team leaders not having an honest discussion with the student about their needs.
• Extended background noise, can cause difficulty for those with hearing and speech impairments.

Women

Students who identify as a female.

• Sexist or derogatory language including 'banter'.
• Sexual and physical harassment.
• Opinions or contributions valued less.
• Impostor syndrome, the idea they are taking a place away from "someone who deserves it"

LGB+

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and the plus encompasses a number of sexual and gender identities.

• Homophobic language and 'banter'. Harmful stereotypes.
• People treating heterosexuality as the default.
• Using 'Gay' as a derogatory term.
• Erasing bisexual identities.
• Assuming a lesbian just hasn't met the right man yet.

Trans

Individuals who identify other than the gender they were assigned at birth.

• Asking about genitals.
• Misgendering trans students by referring to them as a gender they don't identify with.
• Holding events in venues without gender neutral toilets.
• Transphobic language and 'banter'.
• Stigma and acts of violence.
• Dead-naming (referring to someone as their name prior to transitioning)

B.A.M.E

Black, Asian and Minority Ethnicity. (Used in the uk to refer to non-white ethnic)

• Racist language or 'banter'. Erasure of identities.
• Stereotyping races.
• Lack of empowerment from society/ team leaders. Individuals used as tokens.
• Events are typically White-centric.

 

Groups with Barriers

Whilst not defined as liberation groups. there are still student communities which face barriers when trying to engage with activities such as:

Mature Students / Carers (Students who started university past the age of 21)

•  May have childcare requirements or can't make evening activities

Commuting Students (Students who commute over a long distance to their place of study.)

•  Tend to be isolated from the student community

Students Of Faith (Students who belong to a religious group.)

•  Tend to be isolated from the student community

Students from Lower Economic Backgrounds. (Students who come from poorer family backgrounds)

• May struggle to afford participating in events / activities

 

Sometimes it's just about asking......Talk to your members/audience

What Does Keele Population Look Students in total Like?

• 14320 Students in Total
• 14% of those students have a declared disability
• 35% Of those students are BAME
• 38% of those students are mature
• 65% of our students are women
• 27% of our students are international

*Data from 19/20  MSL database

 

Increasing engagement from LGBT+ backgrounds:

LGBT+ participation can increase in societies/ teams who promote LGBT+ values and are vocal about challenging phobic behaviours. LGBT+ students are drawn to activities that they perceive will be safe and their identities wont be the source of conflict.

•  Already got an LGBT+ student in your group who is happy to talk about how the group has provided a 'safe space' for them? you could ask them if they'd like to do a post on your social media about how the group has made that space safe for them.
• If a member makes phobic comments, challenge them on it in an appropriate tone. It sets an example for the rest of the group on what is acceptable conduct.
• Encourage the use of pronoun pin badges, regardless of your gender identity, using a pin shows you are aware about the importance of referring to people by their preferred pronouns. Pins are available from your SU!
• When planning events/ activities think about the toilets which are available. Having a gender neutral one nearby is always a good move.
• Hold a pride event, LGBT+ History month is February in the UK, look at collaborating with the LGBT+ society or officer (this will give the event some authenticity).
• Run a pledge campaign! This is where you get your members to sign something visible. i.e sign a banner or a document where they say they'll commit to calling out phobic behaviours. Then do some publicity about this.
• Run a fundraising activity for LGBT+ specific charities.
• Create a representative role on your committee for LGBT+ students and actively support and value their contributions to your activities. The role shouldn't just be a tick box exercise, make sure their actively informing your activities. Strive to ensure this role is elected by your LGBT+ membership.
• Take part in SU training related to inclusion and accessibility where possible, don't just delegate it to one person, get as many members involved as possible.
• about how your event can be more

 

Increasing engagement from disabled students:

Participation from students with declared disabilities can increase when you pursue making your activities as accessible as possible. The disability spectrum is incredibly diverse, including physical and mental disabilities so there isn't one solution that fits all. It's really important you talk to your members and potential audiences about how you can support their engagement in their event. It is better to ask then too assume.

• Ensure that activities with prolonged physical activity have comfort breaks.
• Listen and value the opinions of your members and be reactive to their needs.
• Look at the spaces you use and bear in mind ; are there consistent background noises which may impact on those who have hearing/ speech impediments? Can someone with a wheelchair or crutches move around and access the space easily?
• Avoid patronising language and appropriately challenge your members who use this sort of language. I.e raising and slowing down your speech, this sort of behaviour perpetuates stereotypes that disabled individuals have lower intellectual capacity.
• If your disabled students are supported by an aide, don't talk to the student through the aide. If the individual has issues communicating they will let usually let you know.
• Don't make decisions on behalf of the disabled student without talking to them, they are adults with their own capabilities of making decisions.
• Create a representative role on your committee for disabled students and actively support and value their contributions to your activities. The role shouldn't just be a tick box exercise, make sure their actively informing your activities. Strive to ensure this role is elected by your disabled membership.
• Take part in SU training related to inclusion and accessibility where possible, don't just delegate it to one person, get as many members involved as possible.

 

Increasing engagement from disabled students:

Participation from students with declared disabilities can increase when you pursue making your activities as accessible as possible. The disability spectrum is incredibly diverse, including physical and mental disabilities so there isn't one solution that fits all. It's really important you talk to your members and potential audiences about how you can support their engagement in their event. It is better to ask then too assume.

• Ensure that activities with prolonged physical activity have comfort breaks.
• Listen and value the opinions of your members and be reactive to their needs.
• Look at the spaces you use and bear in mind ; are there consistent background noises which may impact on those who have hearing/ speech impediments? Can someone with a wheelchair or crutches move around and access the space easily?
• Avoid patronising language and appropriately challenge your members who use this sort of language. I.e raising and slowing down your speech, this sort of behaviour perpetuates stereotypes that disabled individuals have lower intellectual capacity.
• If your disabled students are supported by an aide, don't talk to the student through the aide. If the individual has issues communicating they will let usually let you know.
• Don't make decisions on behalf of the disabled student without talking to them, they are adults with their own capabilities of making decisions.
• Create a representative role on your committee for disabled students and actively support and value their contributions to your activities. The role shouldn't just be a tick box exercise, make sure their actively informing your activities. Strive to ensure this role is elected by your disabled membership.
• Take part in SU training related to inclusion and accessibility where possible, don't just delegate it to one person, get as many members involved as possible.

 

Increasing engagement from B.A.M.E students

The Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic community is an incredibly diverse and broad spectrum of cultures and ethnicities. Think back to the pie chart, and think about how that lines up with your own. A truly representative society would have a 38% BAME membership.

• Listen to the lived experience of your members and give them the opportunity too contribute and to inform the group.
• Have clear reporting processes for instances of racism and close the feedback loop of what has happened with the reports raised.
• Collaborate with cultural society groups and networks. Encourage understanding of one another communities and values and how you can bring those into your own activities.
• Contribute to Black History Month (UK's is October) by holding an event or fundraiser. Collaborate with the SU's BAME societies and officer or the Universities BAME networks to ensure their authenticity.
• Keep momentum up and hold BAME events throughout the year and continually engage with those student groups.
• Encourage your committees to take up some unconscious bias training, we all make some unconscious decisions based on race, and this training can go some length in supporting you to recognise those and challenge your own behaviours.
• Create a representative role on your committee for B.A.M.E students and actively support and value their contributions to your activities. The role shouldn't just be a tick box exercise or tokenism, make sure their actively informing your activities and have a well structured role. Strive to ensure this role is elected by the BAME community.
• Take part in SU training related to inclusion and accessibility where possible, don't just delegate it to one person, get as many members involved as possible.

 

Increasing engagement from female students

Participation from female identifying students can increase when you value the opinions of those members, support and facilitate spaces for them to contribute to your activities and challenge sexist behaviours.

• Have clear reporting methods for sexist and problematic behaviour. Knowing a clear process for how to report behaviour and then know how it'll be followed up, can empower your students to call out problematic behaviour. It'll give you the opportunity to educate the student doing the behaviour and hopefully make the society/team a safe space.
• Create a representative role on your committee for women and actively support and value their contributions to your activities. The role shouldn't just be a tick box exercise, make sure their actively informing your activities. Strive to ensure this role is elected by female identifying members.
• Value and listen to your members and don't discredit an opinion based on the emotional position from which the member is coming from.
• Create space in conversation for female participation and make sure everyone views are being taken on board. Discourage members from interrupting other speakers and participants.
• Recognise that the way a student presents doesn't mean they identify as that gender. Recognise that pronouns can help you navigate this and avoid mis-gendering your members.
• Create and support activities surrounding International Women's day and create women focused events throughout the academic year to build continual engagement.
• Take part in SU training related to inclusion and accessibility where possible, don't just delegate it to one person, get as many members involved as possible.
• Collaborate with campaigns and groups surrounding women's engagement and with the SU gender equality officers

 

Key Contacts

Sabbatical Officers:

Union Development and Democracy Officer su.uddofficer@keele.ac.uk

Education Officer su.educationofficer@keele.ac.uk

Welfare and Internationalisation Officer su.welfareofficer@keele.ac.uk

Activities and Community Officer su.communityofficer@keele.ac.uk

Athletic Union and Sport Officer su.ausportofficer@keele.ac.uk

Part-Time Officers - The student body elects a number of part time officers to represent different backgrounds and types of students, including liberation groups. Check out the full list and whose representing you at :

Other Societies / Sports Clubs - There are a number of other societies/ sports clubs at your Students' Union who you can collaborate with or join!

 

SU Staff

Campaign Coordinator (Liberation) - Parker Robinson P.J.Robinson@Keele.ac.uk

Can provide your demographic pie chart. Able to provide support for liberation activities and campaigns

 

ASK - Advice and Support at Keele - su.ask@keele.ac.uk

Can provide confidential support for students facing financial, housing, mental health, academic and legal issues.

 

Keele Student Services

Can support for students facing financial, housing, mental health, academic and legal issues. As well as staff contacts for specific student groups including liberation and non-liberation groups