Disability Awareness Fortnight

Welcome to this year’s Disability Awareness Fortnight (DAF) campaign, coinciding with the UK’s national Disability History Month. This year’s campaign celebrates our student body’s diversity across hidden and visible disabilities such as neurodivergence, chronic illness, mobility, and others.

Our Disability Awareness Fortnight takes place from 1-14 December and is facilitated by our student-led organising committee. Members from across Queen Mary’s campuses have put together incredible content and events across three strands: panel discussions, social activities, and web content.

Take part in enthralling events including a winter holiday social with the Neurodivergent Society, a panel discussion between Queen Mary academics and postgraduate researchers highlighting their disability research, a braille-based treasure hunt, and more!

Explore our merch and our web content including fidget toys, student spotlights, and disability debunking Instagram posts. Come celebrate with us!

DAF Organising Committee and Matthew Beach, VP Communities

Upcoming Events

see all events

Support and resources


Disability and Dyslexia Service (DDS)

Confidential advice, guidance and support for disabled students, including those with mental health conditions, Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC) and Specific Learning Differences such as dyslexia.

The service can provide support including one to one skills support, reasonable adjustments such as exam arrangements, screenings for Specific Learning Differences, mental health mentoring, support with applying for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) and more.

Click here

Liberation at the Students’ Union

At the Students' Union we recognise that forms of structural oppression marginalise some groups of students, including BAME, LGBT+, trans, disabled and women students. Each year, we elect two self-defining Disabled and SLD Representatives for Mile End and Barts and The London and who work to improve the experiences of disabled students by lobbying the University and leading campaigns and events.

View your representatives

Digital Library

Books – Fiction
  • A Room Called Earth by Madeline Ryan (Autism)
  • One Two Three by Laurie Frankel (Autism, Wheelchair use, communication device)
  • So Lucky by Nicola Griffith (Multiple Sclerosis)
  • Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert (Chronic Pain)
  • My Heart to Find by Elin Annalise (Lyme Disease)
  • Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai (Anxiety and PTSD)
  • Pages I Never Wrote by Marco Donati (Dyspraxia)
  • A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard (Hearing Impairment)
  • The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (Autism)

Books – Non-fiction
  • Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century Edited by Alice Wong
  • Sitting Pretty: The View from my Ordinary Resilient Body by Rebekah Taussig
  • What The **** Is Normal? by Francesca Martinez
  • The World I Fell Out Of by Melanie Reid
  • Odd Girl Out: An Autistic Woman in a Neurotypical World by Laura James
  • An Adult with an Autism Diagnosis: A Guide for the Newly Diagnosed A Guide for the Newly Diagnosed by Gillan Drew
  • Able (2021) (Amazon Prime)
  • Silenced: The Hidden Story of Disabled Britain (2021) (BBC iPlayer)
  • Our Family and Autism (2021) (BBC iPlayer)
  • Strictly Amy: Crohn’s and Me (2021) (BBC iPlayer)
  • Wonder (2017) (Facial difference)
  • The Theory of Everything (2014) (ALS)
  • Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (2020) (Various)
  • Ray (2004) (Visual Impairment)
  • Five Feet Apart (2019) (Cystic Fibrosis)
  • Me Before You (2016) (Paralysis)
  • The Fundamentals of Caring (2016) (Duchenne muscular dystrophy)
  • Atypical (2017–2021) (Autism)
  • The Good Doctor (2017–present) (Autism)
  • Special (2019–2021) (Cerebral Palsy)
  • Raising Dion (2019–present) (ADHD)
  • Speechless (2016–2019) (Cerebral Palsy)
  • Mr ColitisCrohns on YouTube
  • Roll with Cole & Charisma on YouTube
  • Jessica Kellgren-Fozard on YouTube
  • wheelie_good_life on Instagram
  • iampayingattention on Instagram
  • theautisticlife on Instagram
  • autism_sketches on Instagram
  • BBC Ouch
  • Abnormally Funny People
  • The Accessible Stall with Kyle and Emily
  • Practice Makes Progress

Features

Staff Training on Neurodiversity

Mon 18 Dec 2023

During Disability Awareness Fortnight, Giorgia Pigato (Education and Recognition Adviser) ran a training session on inclusive teaching with DDS (Disability and Dyslexia Service).

 
Disability Awareness Fortnight: Student Spotlight #2

Fri 15 Dec 2023

I think Disability Awareness and Disability Rights are such a complicated topic because there is such a wide range of disabilities.

 
Disability Awareness Fortnight: Student Spotlight #1

Tue 12 Dec 2023

Disability Awareness Fortnight allows people to share their stories and feel heard. Hear from some of our organising committee about their experiences!

 
 

Contact us

Disabled and SLD Rep (Mile End)
Disabled and SLD Rep (BL)