STAART

The University of Greenwich have employed students as student ambassadors since 2004. In 2007, the university realised that we did not have any disabled student ambassadors. As we are a university which strives to be both inclusive and reflective of our local populations, it was decided that we would have a specialist cohort of self-selected disabled ambassadors. Originally know as *AccessAbility Ambassadors, they are now STAART Ambassadors (& Graduates).

In 2007, we (myself and the widening participation team)  invited self-selected and self-identified current University of Greenwich  disabled students  to apply to become specialist ambassadors. We interviewed and appointed three disabled students. Initially, the *AccessAbility Ambassadors took part in   occasional school/college visits, provided student life presentations at our campus events, which progressed to having a desk at open days and similar events.

In the past 16 years, we have trained nearly 400 *AccessAbility/STAART ambassadors. They have been undergraduates & postgraduates; international & home students; full time & part-time students; and a variety of shapes, colours, genders, ages, personalities, etc. They are an astounding  and exceptional group of individuals. STAART Ambassadors are mostly undergraduates and STAART Graduates are students who worked as STAART Ambassadors before undertaking their postgraduate studies with us at the University of Greenwich.

STAART has continued to change and evolve over the years. We started on a very small scale, and STAART is now bigger and better than it has ever been, although our initial reason for employing specialist disabled ambassadors is fundamentally the same. STAART Ambassadors undertake both standard ambassador work and specialist STAART work. We have STAART Ambassadors who work with the outreach and recruitment teams, student engagement team, provide peer mentoring, are involved in clearing, and many other opportunities.  Our STAART Ambassadors and Graduates have a different uniform (t-shirts are currently white with blue writing) from the standard ambassadors (their t-shirts are blue with white writing).  This is to differentiate the two groups as STAART Ambassadors are involved in so many aspects of the university but they are proud to be positive role models for future disabled students. You can find a variety of blogs and articles about our STAART Ambassadors & Graduates dotted throughout the STAART webpages and wider University of Greenwich webpages.

STAART Ambassador and Graduate Spotlights

Having STAART during my degree was an immense support. It was like having cheerleaders all the way to the finish line. With every struggle, there was always someone there to give me support or listen to me. - João Martins

July is Disability Pride Month¹, a time to remember and honour the history, celebrate the achievements, and recognise the struggles of people within the disabled community.

Disability Pride Month enables everyone to celebrate what makes them unique, promoting visibility and providing a platform for mainstream awareness of disabilities; including long-term health conditions and mental health difficulties. The month is a short period in time to remind individuals who are disabled or allies that many people have overcome barriers to get to where they are today. There have been amazing individuals throughout history who have made major differences in the lives of those living with disabilities.

Disability Pride was started as a single day of celebration in 1990 in Boston, USA. The USA also passed the Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 which prohibits the discrimination of individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The UK followed suit much later commemorating and celebrating Disability Pride Month for the first time in 2017 in Brighton.

The Disability Pride flag was adopted in 2015 and redesigned in 2021 (below)² has a number of elements, the background, the road shapes and colours.

The charcoal background – to represent those in the community who have been subjected to ableist violence, as well as representing protest in the community. The “band/road” shape – represents how disabled people face barriers and have to navigate their life according to them. The different colours in the shape represent the creativity in navigating life, and how the community is breaking free from authority. The colours – the colours represent the various experiences and needs (mental illness, developmental disability, invisible disabilities, physical disabilities, and sensory disabilities) in the disabled community.

The University of Greenwich continues to champion the work of the late, Professor Mike Oliver who was a pioneer in disability studies. Professor Oliver is credited with coining the social model of disability. The University of Greenwich powers on accelerating the work of Professor Oliver through the initiative of STAART, Support Through *AccessAbility - Retention and Transition which was created to support disabled and dyslexic students through their higher education journeys. The STAART Principles of Disability (SPoD) could not have been created without the foundations laid down by Mike Oliver.

Disability Pride Month 2023 saw the joining of STAART, the University of Greenwich Disabled Staff Community (DSC) and the National Association of Disabled Staff Networks (NADSN) together to create a unique exhibition: Histories of Disability: The Good, The Great, The Bad, The Ugly showcasing the experiences of disabled students, staff, and allies. The exhibition includes poignant moments in time; and figures of great importance to the disabled community and personal experiences. The exhibits have been allocated to each of the four sections in the exhibition title, with relevant emojis. There are also trigger warnings on the exhibits which maybe confronting. However, we also have joyful and celebratory exhibits. The official opening of the exhibition took  place on 14^th July 2023 on the Greenwich Campus where the University of Greenwich Vice Chancellor, Professor Jane Harrington provided the official welcome.

The exhibition itself has been created to be portable. The exhibition was showcased on our Medway campus (ME4 4TB) through Disability History Month from 16^th November to 16^th December 2023. Please contact staart@gre.ac.uk if you are interested in hosting our collective exhibition.

** We recommend the exhibits are for post-16s only due to some of the confronting content.

Special Educational Needs and Disability Progression Partnership - SEND PP

The SEND PP is an outreach activity coordinated by the Kent & Medway Progression Federation (KMPF) which provides education and careers opportunities for SEND/disabled students in Kent and Medway schools, colleges and universities. STAART has been an active member of this partnership since it began in 2020.

In 2023, the SEND PP published The Guide; Support available for Disabled Students at University which provides information about applying to university; support available at university; the benefits of sharing your disability/disabilities on application forms; the Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs); and a collection of student journeys. The Guide has been produced in both paper and digital form. A digital copy of the Guide can be found here: The Guide: Support available for Disabled Students at University (kmpf.org)

In addition to The Guide, SEND PP have created the following:

• A short film Making the Most of University as a Disabled Student featuring four disabled student ambassadors, one from each university, discussing the benefits of going to university and the types of support available KMPF: Making the Most of University as a Disabled Student - YouTube
• A short animated film Who Goes to Uni? aimed at a younger audience. The four disabled student ambassadors  in the above film have been animated for this version Who Goes to Uni? - YouTube
• Blogs written by the  disabled student ambassadors include topics such as the social opportunities at university; making the most of your personal development and making the most of academic support at university  BLOG: Making the most of the social opportunities at university - Kent & Medway Progression Federation (kmpf.org)

To order a paper copy of the Guide and further information here Contact - Kent & Medway Progression Federation (kmpf.org)

Kickstart your Career: How STAART & Employability Can Support You