Tuesday 3rd December is the International Day for Persons with Disabilities, which is a day organised by the UN to promote the rights and well-being of people with disabilities in all parts of society. As part of this global day of awareness, we wanted to do our bit to promote inclusivity at College, and make the environment better for everyone.
The college aims to be as inclusive as possible, which means all people are treated with respect, no matter their characteristics, including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage & civil partnership, pregnancy & maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. When each and every student enrols at Edinburgh College, they sign the Student Agreement. As part of this they agree to the following:
Any form of discrimination or harassment, directly or indirectly, related to an individual’s race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religion, gender, marital status, sexual orientation or disability will not be tolerated. Any incidents of bullying, harassment, intimidation, threatening or violent behaviour towards staff, students or visitors will be fully investigated and may result in disciplinary action. This includes incidents that take place via electronic communications, e.g. social media platforms, Teams, email, text.
In order to make Edinburgh College welcoming to everyone, we are all responsible for making the environment inclusive. That could be as simple as holding the door for someone in a wheelchair, or giving up accessible spaces, such as height-adjustable tables and desks, to those who need them most. If you see an incident when someone is being harassed on the basis of who they are, it's important that you report it, so the college can investigate it properly.
👉Report it here
As part of their work towards equality, in 2023, Edinburgh College agreed on a set of ten equality outcomes, and are now seeking views and suggestions from everyone at our College on how it's been going so far, and what can be improved for the future. If you'd like to get involved and give your feedback, please click here.
We know that some students continue to face barriers to their learning and social experience at college, so, following student feedback we are going to create a new Disabled Students' Forum. This will be a safe space for students who identify as disabled (including hidden disabilities) can meet one another, and discuss any issues they’re facing in a friendly environment. If you are a disabled student who is interested in signing up to our forum, please fill out the form below. We will be launching the group in 2025. If you would like to talk to someone at the Students' Association about your experience on inclusion at college directly, you are welcome to contact us or pop into one of our offices.