This year, Disability History Month focusses on the experience of disablement amongst children and young people in the past, present and what is needed for the future.  

You might have noticed the word ‘disablement’ in the previous sentence rather than ‘disability’. You would be forgiven for wondering if disability and disablement mean the same thing, or whether both words contain similar but slightly different meanings.  

‘Disablement’ here is the state of being disabled or the experience of becoming disabled, which, as a foundation for understanding an individual’s personal experience of disability, is a good place to start. Disablement takes its cue from the social model of disability, which was introduced in the 1970s and has become a central pillar within disabled communities and amongst prominent disability activities and campaigners.  

At its heart, the social model of disability challenges tradition, default assumptions about disability as something that exists within the individual, for example as a medical problem or physical impairment. Instead, it frames the notion of ‘disablement’ as much broader, cultural or environmental issues. Influenced directly by the civil rights, feminist and early LGBTQ movements, the social model of disability frames the experience of disablement as one of social exclusion, marginalisation and discrimination.  

So, to focus on the experience of disablement amongst children and young people isn’t to focus on their medicalised experiences, but rather it is intended to compel everyone to consider what actions they might take to ally themselves with young disabled people.  

Here at Leeds Trinity University, we follow (as much as possible) the main tenets of the social model of disability. Disability Services, along with colleagues across Student Support and Wellbeing, endeavour on a daily basis to ensure that all young people who come to our campus and register on our courses are given every opportunity to challenge potential barriers to their inclusion and identify those aspects of university life that could be said to be part of the experience of becoming disabled.  

By now many colleagues across the University will either be familiar with or have some understanding of the Student Inclusions Plans that can be created for our disabled students. The aim of the inclusion plans is to focus on making recommendations for reasonable adjustments to the wider University, whether it’s physical or virtual spaces, or part of the teaching and learning environment.  

The point isn’t to draw attention to difference, or to solve problems that arrive at the University as soon as a disabled student joins us. Instead, the reasonable adjustments are meant to make us think about what diversity really looks and feels like. We are, to our credit, a diverse community of staff and students. But with that comes an obligation to recognise that the experience of becoming disabled can mean the experience of not having a part of who you are acknowledged. For young disabled people, part of who they are is their disability.  

Our duty, and it is a duty, is to ensure young people’s disabilities are not the reason for their exclusion but instead are the reasons to recognise the varied and diverse students who study with us.  

Stephen Campbell, Disability Service Manager at Leeds Trinity University

Earlier this year, Stephen published a book to help ensure disabled students are supported throughout their time in mainstream higher education.

For more information and to purchase Stephen’s book, visit the Routledge website.