Jacintha (she/her) is a third year Electronics and Computer Science student. She is running to be Edinburgh University Students’ Association’s next Disabled Students’ Officer. The Student interviewed Jacintha to learn more about her campaign.
Why are you running to be the next Disabled Students’ Officer?
A year ago, I had just interrupted my studies after a tumultuous couple of years. Due to my ADHD and dyslexia, I found online learning near impossible to tackle, and when I tried to find support, I could not. I went through every avenue a struggling student is told to take and was met with the same advice that was not helpful to my situation at all. It made me realise that our current system for supporting Disabled and struggling students was massively flawed. If I went through the system and still ended up in the same position, a step closer to dropping out, what was it really doing?
I am running in these elections so that Disabled students in the future do not have to go through similar experiences. I want to help fix those flaws; sew up the holes in the net that so many slips through. I am running to help make the university a more supportive, understanding, and kinder place for Disabled students, and for all. By uplifting the students who struggle the most, we uplift everyone.
What is your most ambitious manifesto point and how are you planning to implement it?
I would say not only improving but implementing the Accessible Learning Policy (ALP) will be a humongous task. As it is, the current ALP is too narrow for the wide range of disabilities and mental illnesses that can affect learning. I think getting teaching staff to adopt and practise it in their classrooms will be hard, too. If my experience as a Student Rep has taught me anything, it is that staff are quick to listen when the word ‘disability’ is mentioned but very slow and even reluctant to make actual change.
To get teaching staff on board with implementing the ALP, I think it is vital there is enough training for them to understand different disabilities and why each policy point is needed. We need examples that they can follow and use in their own classrooms and discussions to get them invested in more accessible methods of teaching. The challenge comes from the sheer number of teaching staff here at the university and the different styles of teaching for each subject, but if the university supports their staff, the staff can support us! No doubt it will be a long process. But I hope to keep working on the foundations so they can be actualised down the line.
What are your views on the Covid-19 hybrid teaching system and accessibility? How are you planning to keep teaching more accessible to students with online teaching options?
I really had to cut this paragraph down because I was going off on one! To sum it up, every year I hear students say, “they have had [x-number of years] doing this, you would think they would get it right?”, and I completely agree. Even this year, the pandemic has been selectively forgotten by the University, with isolating and vulnerable students left without access to live teaching or proper contingency plans whiles they cannot be in the classroom. Additionally, the fact that not all student study areas have reopened whiles it is expected to go to full in-person lessons makes little sense.
I want more online options for students to join in-person learning, as well as reopening more study spaces (no more cutting corners and costs on building maintenance and staff when we are all crammed in the Main Library, forced to pay to sit in a café or stuck working from home!). Concerning hybrid learning, ‘Digital Strategy’ has become a big topic in the University, and I want to fully engage Disabled Students’ voices in those conversations to make sure our needs are not forgotten. Digital learning will only be innovative and ground-breaking if it includes everyone.
Do you have any collaboration plans with other liberation officers for disabled students with intersecting identities?
One of my manifesto points hopes to improve the intersectionality of the Counselling Service. Our university is so diverse, and our struggles and experiences of mental health are just as diverse, too. I am hoping that by working with the other Liberation Officers, we can go to the Counselling Services and indicate which groups of people need better, more specific support.
Although it is not in my manifesto, I would love to start a campaign encouraging Disability Pride, especially in the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) community. Disability and mental health are, although being talked more about, still quite taboo among ethnic minorities. Working with the BME Liberation Officer, I hope we can encourage a conversation and reduce stigma so that BME students especially can access the help they need without feeling ashamed or like an imposter.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Even if your vote is not with me, please vote. So many students out there do not realise that they count as Disabled students and miss the opportunity to have a say in these services, as well as join an amazing, supportive community. If I do anything in this election, I hope it is that I have helped more people realise they are included in the Disabled Students’ Campaign and can access the support available, as well as not be afraid to ask for it.
Make your voice heard! Vote for your EUSA representatives here
Image Courtesy of Jacintha Chen