The importance of lived experience

The voices of people with lived experience of disability must be centred in all initiatives to support disability inclusion. Guided by the principle, “Nothing about us without us,” the University has begun, and continues, to embed lived experience representation and consultation in the development and implementation of strategy and projects. The establishment of lived experience advisory groups was a key achievement under the DIAP 2023-2026:

• The Staff Disability Roundtable has been integral to the evaluation of the previous DIAP and the consultation on this DIAP. The Roundtable provides a lived experience voice to University executive on accessibility and inclusion and serves as a community for staff with disability at the University
• The Student Disability Projects Panel provides paid opportunities for students with disability to support the DIAP and other strategic initiatives related to accessibility and inclusion. Panel members consulted on the development of this plan.

Student Panel members were asked to reflect on their experience participating in the Student Disability Project Panel. They provided the following statement:

We are a diverse group of students with lived experience of disability, chronic and mental health conditions, and neurodivergence. Each of us is shaped by our different backgrounds and intersections of identity. Our experiences give us firsthand knowledge of the barriers that impact learning, participation and wellbeing. They also inform our insights on what genuinely improves inclusion at the University and what enables us to thrive. Through the process of developing this plan, we valued the University’s openness to learning from our expertise. Our voices have helped to shape decisions that directly affect us, reflecting the principle of ‘nothing about us without us.’ As for all students, our experiences and our success at university will have immense impact on the rest of our lives. We deserve to continue to be heard, recognised as experts in our own experiences, and empowered to speak up openly and honestly.