Should There Be A ‘Disabled NUS’?

The number of disabled students with disabilities is likely to grow in future years. Do they need specific representation? 

The National Union of Students (NUS) is an organisation run by students, for students, on college and university campuses. The NUS is a confederation of 600 students’ unions and represents more than 95% of all further and higher education unions in the UK or around seven million students.

Part of their remit is to provide equality for all students through practical support and information. Indeed this sometimes manifests in campaigning on issues and the NUS is a body strong enough to have a real effect on national policy.

Every strand of diversity is included and respected within Students’ Union membership. This means, for instance, that there is no official standalone union of students regarding ethnicity, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender or disability.

Lots of campus Students’ Unions will have societies relating to sport, politics and the arts (and a bewildering array of other things besides). The smaller societies are usually set up by groups of like-minded students that want to discuss or enjoy certain subjects. Disabled students then, are usually left to form a ‘society’ run as part of the Students’ Union and representing and campaigning on student issues as they relate to disabled people. (However, student societies are not to be confused with colleges’ or universities’ student disability teams. These are paid professionals employed by the individual institutions and are entirely separate from the NUS.)

Perhaps the question about whether there should be an official disabled students’ union should be reframed: ‘Would disabled students benefit from having a separate NUS?’

Strands of Diversity

Firstly, not to elevate one strand of diversity above another but different ethnic groups and genders etc do not need specific changes to infrastructure (beyond male and female toilets). Disabled people however, can require physical adaptations to buildings such as ramps, hearing induction loops or guide trails for blind people to follow. In order to make sure that a campus is fit for purpose might well take a specifically tasked organisation to raise awareness and campaign for better facilities (although colleges and universities have a tendency to be highly compliant in these areas).

The NUS does have a distinct ‘NUS disabled students’ campaign’ which “aims to remove the stigma from all disabilities, challenge perceptions and encourage all members of our society to take a positive attitude towards understanding the nature of disability and overcoming prejudices”. It is also headed-up by a Disabled Students’ Officer (along similar lines to the President of the Union) but it is not a separate entity.

Awareness

Of course, disabled people and the issues they deal with need to be elevated above those of the sewing society or football club but if the NUS created a specific disabled branch they would doubtless be asked to create others to serve the needs of the other strands of diversity.

Perhaps a separate NUS for disabled people would be a backward step. Although it would give disabled people a bigger profile, it would also, to some extent, reinforce a separation that goes against activities aimed at creating inclusion. Disabled people rarely want to be defined by their disability and any distinct union for disabled students would underline an ‘us and them’ situation.

The NUS obviously takes disability issues very seriously. Treating everyone equally is far more effectively achieved by running a single union for the interests of all. It is also sensible to point out that a one large union can be far more influential than several smaller niche bodies.

Disabled students shouldn’t be ashamed or embarrassed but that doesn’t mean that they need to overtly parade their challenges either. If there was an overwhelming need or desire for a separate union of disabled students it would likely have been formed by organic processes by now. Not having a separate disabled peoples’ union future-proofs the NUS for years, during which we will undoubtedly see more disabled people furthering their education. The world is moving towards inclusion and the NUS is wise to support that notion rather than encouraging segregation.