Disability December 2017 is nearly here — it’s the second year that we have celebrated this programme at the University of Nottingham.

The University of Nottingham’s Disability December programme stems from International Day of Persons with Disabilities which falls on 3 December each year. This day aims to promote empowerment for people with disabilities, helping to create real opportunities in all aspects of life.

Sarah Stephenson-Hunter, Chair of the Disabled Staff Network says:

“It is important to celebrate Disability December because it helps to raise awareness of the difficulties experienced by people with disabilities. As an institution we will not be able to challenge these issues if we do not feel able to talk about them. This is what we hope to do during December. We also want to celebrate the diversity within our communities at the University and learn from others with different experiences and unique perspectives on the world around us.

Disability December also gives us the opportunity to promote the importance of disclosure of disabilities in the workplace. Understanding your disabilities enables the University to ensure the right adjustments are made to your working environment and helps to foster an inclusive and positive workplace culture.”

Schedule of events

This year, our Disability December programme includes:

Stress and mental health at work

Friday 1 December, 12:00 – 1:30pm. A13, Pope Building
Steve Metcalf, Director and Chief Trainer at Robustmind Mental Fitness Ldt will be talking about the causes and impact of stress in the workplace, what employers can do to minimise stress and what we can do to improve our own mental health and wellbeing at work. Lunch provided. Book now.

Managing Mental Health and Disability

Monday 4 December, 10:30am – 1:30pm. C5, Coates Building
Hosted by the Faculty of Engineering, this event includes guest speaker, Rick Carnell from Forces in the Community to talk about mental health, the causes of poor mental health and the impact it can have on the workplace. The event will also include a talk from Justine Wallis-Leggett and Katharine Carter from HR on declaring a disability and requesting reasonable adjustments. Lunch provided. All welcome, no need to book.

Let’s talk about Disability

Tuesday 5 December, three sessions. University Park, Jubilee and Sutton Bonington
Disability Rights UK is a charity whose vision is for equal participation for all. They will be delivering three, one-hour talks throughout the day which aims to raise awareness of disability and the importance of disclosing disabilities at work. Book now.

Comedy Live

Thursday 14 December, 7:00pm onwards. Nottingham Lakeside Arts
A live comedy show with internationally acclaimed comedian Francesca Martinez and the truly unique, warm and witty comedian, Steve Day. Both disabled comedians, Martinez and Day are able to bring authenticity and laughter as they talk about their experiences of living with disabilities. Book now.

Book now and don’t miss out!

We hope that you enjoy Disability December 2017 and find it interesting, informative and stimulating.

To find out more about the University’s Disability December programme please email the People and Culture team.

For updates throughout December, please subscribe to the People and Culture blog and for further details of events taking place this month, please visit the University’s event listings.