Hi, I’m Juliet Onuoha and I would love to be your next Disabled Student’s Representative.

Although this would be my first attempt at becoming a student rep here at ARU, I do have some experience being a general student rep from years 9 till 11 in high school and student ambassador from years 12 till 13 at college. Being a disabled student myself I can say that my experience with the ARU disabled student’s support so far has been great but I feel more could be done and it is my aim to achieve that; to bring about that change, with your help. I believe we need more of a voice as a group and we can only achieve that together; striving for an environment where we can move around freely without fear of tripping over and getting hurt or preventing other people from getting to their respective destinations on time.

My manifesto:

·         To establish a direct communication link between students and staff: sometimes it can be difficult to get across what we actually want, what will make us feel more comfortable simply because we may feel it is too insignificant. At the end of the day, we are all entitled to an environment where we feel comfortable and accommodated.

·         To try to provide easy access to and from the lecture theatres: most of the lecture theatres, although spacious, are quite difficult to access. For example, the doors are too heavy to push and for disabled students who are pretty much using all their energy to get through the day, worrying if there will be someone there to hold the door for you shouldn’t even be something to worry about. If elected, I will try my best to see that the doors are made more accessible for disabled students.

·         To create a space where disabled individuals can support and encourage each other: a disability isn’t an easy thing to deal with. It’s something that’s always there: a constant reminder. Trying to get through it and feeling like there’s no one to talk to because people won’t understand because they are not in the same boat can be very difficult. It is a goal of mine to ensure we don’t feel alone or out of touch but we support each other because we all can relate to the daily struggles of being disabled.