International Day of Disabled People
International Day of Disabled People events
Week 1: 4-10 November 2024
Santi and Naz by The Thelmas
7 November 2024, 7.00pm–8.10pm, Attenborough Arts Centre
Santi and Naz are bestest-best friends living in a village in pre-partition India. One Sikh, one Muslim; they have little understanding of how religion will divide them.
As partition draws closer, the girls remain oblivious to the spreading social unrest and violence. They’re too busy stealing books, swimming in the lake and spying on Rahul (the local hottie). When Naz is betrothed to a tailor from the soon-to-be capital of Pakistan the threat of separation for the young women looms on the horizon. Bound by their love for each other we learn how far they will go to avoid the inevitable.
Santi and Naz explores female friendship, coming of age, and coming out set against the backdrop of a country soon to be changed forever.
Accessibility: This show is BSL Interpreted and relaxed.
Week 2: 11-17 November 2024
Events to be confirmed.
Week 3: 18-24 November 2024
Bright Places by Rae Mainwaring
22 November 2024, 7.00pm–8.15pm, Attenborough Arts Centre
I was 23 when it came crashing into my life; without warning, when everything was going so well, just when I was really, really happy…
A three-woman, one-woman show about Multiple Sclerosis, MS for short, not to be confused with M&S or S&M.
With 90s pop, a costume box and a whole heap of glitter, Bright Places is a darkly funny and deeply honest autobiographical story about growing up in the shadow of chronic illness.
This award-winning play is written by Rae Mainwaring and directed by Tessa Walker.
Access: Every performance includes Creative Captioning (which means captions are integrated into the design on stage) and embedded Audio Description (which means audio description is included in the writing of the script).
Week 4: 25 November-1 December 2024
Format documents for accessibility – webinar
25 November 2024, 2.00pm–3.00pm, online (MS Teams)
Explore how documents could create barriers to learning and work, and how to create documents that can be read and understood by all.
This session introduces the elements you need to consider to make your documents and presentations accessible. The webinar will be given in the context of the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility regulations, and will highlight resources and training available to you.
This course will be part of a series of events to celebrate and raise awareness of the International Day of Disabled People 2024.
Staff Neurodiversity Group
25 November 2024, 12.00pm–1.00pm, ENG MacLellan, Engineering Building/Online
A staff group meets most months (hybrid), usually with a topic for discussion. We have a private Viva Engage group (previously called Yammer). A safe space for members of staff who identify, as being neurodivergent (ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia, Tourette’s or similar). No formal diagnosis needed.
Join the Staff Neurodiversity Group virtually
Disability Confidence Training for Managers follow-up workshop
25 November 2024, 1.30pm–3.00pm, on campus (location confirmed post-booking)
The Disability Confidence Training for Managers course aims to equip managers with the skills and confidence to support and develop disabled staff, removing barriers to enable disabled staff to participate and contribute fully, and to promote a disability inclusive workplace.
The online training is complimented by a follow-up optional workshop, where managers can explore best practice, associated University processes, such as reasonable adjustments and Occupational Health referrals, and provides opportunity for questions and discussion. The workshop is delivered jointly by the Staff Disability Adviser, Occupational Health and a member of HR.
Please note you must have completed the mandatory online element prior to attending a follow-up workshop.
To book a place on one of the workshops please complete the disability confidence training workshop online booking form.
Talk to the Staff Disability Advisor (staff only)
26 November 2024, Staff Health and Wellbeing Building
Booking slots:
- 9.00am–9.40am
- 10.00am–10.40am
- 11.00am–11.40am
- 12.00pm–12.40pm
- 1.00pm–1.40pm
- 2.00pm–2.40pm
Our Staff Disability Adviser is available to talk about disability and long-term health conditions, including neurodiverse conditions such as dyslexia, autism or ADHD.
Book a 40-minute one-to-one meeting to talk either about yourself, supporting colleagues or implementing reasonable adjustments for those you line manage. Find out more about some of the software we have available in the Software Centre that can be useful to help manage long-term conditions, as well as other support available either in-house or via Access to Work funding. This is available as part of the Disability Toolkit.
These are face-to-face meetings in the Staff Health and Wellbeing Building, but if you would prefer this to be an online (MS Teams) meeting, please select ‘yes’ when booking and our Staff Disability Adviser will send you a Teams meeting link for your chosen time.
More than meets the phoneme: Unveiling the complexities of stammering and dyslexia
26 November 2024, 2.00pm - 2.45pm, online (MS Teams)
This study discusses the likelihood of childhood stuttering in dyslexic adults and the prevalence of dyslexia in stuttering adults. We compared 50 AWD, 30 AWS and 84 neurotypical adults on several measures. We found that dyslexic people are more likely to have stuttered as children compared to those without dyslexia. The severity of dyslexia influence probability of them stuttering during childhood. Many people who stutter have dyslexia despite not being diagnosed. Both stuttering individuals and dyslexic individuals have difficulties processing, remembering speech sound and understanding how they fit together. These findings suggest that stuttering and dyslexia might be linked because they both involve problems with how the brain processes sounds and language. However, we will discuss support strategies and other things to consider when working with stammering community.
No booking required.
(Meeting ID: 345 944 171 25; Passcode: ip7VZy)
What is dyspraxia?
27 November 2024, 10.00am–10.45am, online (MS Teams)
Join this talk on Microsoft Teams to learn more about what dyspraxia is, how it can affect people in work and the support available. There will also be time for a discussion and questions. No need to book.
(Meeting ID: 321 691 154 795; Passcode: CJq5tN)
Finding disabled people in the Ancient Greek world: A discussion
27 November 2024, 1.00pm–1.50pm, Sir Bob Burgess Building, room 0.02, or online (MS Teams)
This session is an opportunity to share my current PhD research on ancient disability and discuss some of the questions I have been asking myself. The session is not a one-way lecture but rather an open discussion where we will consider how to identify disabilities in the ancient world, how to define and recognise a disabled body, how ancient people responded to different/disabled bodies, and how reflecting on disability in the past can hold a mirror up to our own assumptions.
No booking required.
(Meeting ID: 389 785 346 728; Passcode: Uz92ku)
Creativity, agency and disability and the music biopic: Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll (2010).
27 November 2024, 2.00pm–3.00pm, online (MS Teams)
The music biopic is one of the mainstays of cinema, especially when the musician is perceived as 'tortured'. Perhaps the strongest evocation of this is when the lead character is also disabled: a medieval equating of the soul and body. It is a trope... and a problematic one at that. Nevertheless, films about disabled musicians are often appealing to audiences (Ray, Immortal Beloved and so on) and are often successful critically. This is because, at the centre of the narrative sits a magnified articulation of the creative impulse and the agency it both engenders and encourages. This talk, then, will draw on all of these ideas and then expand into asking some questions (which we will discuss) about the ethics of representation: what does 'Nothing about us, without us' mean... in film?
No booking required.
Make your Word documents accessible
27 November 2024, 2.30pm–4.00pm, Ken Edwards Building
Put your knowledge into practice. This hands-on workshop will guide you through a typical document, identifying accessibility issues and resolving them. You will then have time to practice on another document, or bring your own document to practice on, with assistance from the tutor.
Skills covered:
- Tips for formatting text and paragraphs
- Use and update document styles and heading styles
- Define and add alternative text
- Improve a table
- Add descriptive link text
Staff should be familiar with using Word to format documents and have attended the webinar or viewed the video (30 minutes) before they attend.
Contact ittraining@le.ac.uk if you have any questions.
WORD! International Day of Disabled Persons
28 November 2024, 7.00pm–9.00pm, Attenborough Arts Centre
Join us as we end the year with this very special event for International Day of Person’s with Disabilities – co-curated with WORD!’s, Teagan Buckley.
This WORD! Special will explore ideas around (dis)ability and imagine a present and future that is accessible for all without exception. Every aspect of performance will be conceived of for access to expression, and include multiple forms of language within diverse ability.
To sign up for the open mic, and/or book a workshop place on the same day (4.00pm-6.00pm) email hello@wordpoetry.co.uk
Meet the guide dogs
28 November 2024, 12.00pm–1.45pm, Salmon Gallery, Attenborough Arts Centre
Come along to the Attenborough Arts Centre during your lunch break to meet the guide dogs!
Spend 20 minutes with a Guide Dog and their volunteer/owner and find out about the work that they do. For this event, please bring along a £2 donation to help support Guide Dogs (cash is preferred but card will be accepted, or you can visit the guide dogs website to donate online).
Your £2 donation: “Every day 250 people in the UK start to lose their sight. When someone loses their sight, we're here to make sure they don't lose their freedom as well. Every penny donated will go towards helping us provide life-changing services for people with sight loss.”
What are Reasonable Adjustments?
28 November 2024, 10.00am–10.50am, Online (MS Teams)
Join this talk on Microsoft Teams to learn more about Reasonable Adjustments including the legal requirements, their purpose, who may need them, when they may not be reasonable and who makes that decision.
The UoL Reasonable Adjustments Guide on the Disability Toolkit has recently been updated. We also now have a Support Plan that can be used to record conversations about adjustments. No booking required.
(Meeting ID: 356 795 366 034; Passcode: kiqACT)
What is Access to Work?
29 November 2024, 10.00am–10.50am, Online (MS Teams)
Access to Work is publicly funded employment support that aims to help disabled people start or stay in work. It can provide financial support to aid employers to support people who have a disability or long term physical or mental health condition, to overcome workplace barriers that arise from their disability.
Join our Staff Disability Adviser on Microsoft Teams for an overview of what it is, how it works and why it could be beneficial to apply. There will also be a chance to ask questions. You may find this talk useful for yourself, a colleague or if you are a line manager.
The UoL Guide to Access to Work on the Disability Toolkit has recently been updated to reflect recent changes to this funding.
(Meeting ID: 395 610 231 31; Passcode: 3BYzHr)
Week 5: 2-8 December 2024
Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible
2 December 2024, 2.30pm–4.00pm, Ken Edwards Building
Put your knowledge into practice. This hands-on workshop will guide you through some typical presentations, identifying accessibility issues and resolving them. You will then have time to practice on another presentation, or bring your own presentation to practice on, with assistance from the tutor.
Skills covered:
- Use an accessible template
- Tips for formatting backgrounds and fonts
- Use the Colour Contrast Analyser
- Define and add alternative text
- Change the reading order of slide elements
Staff should be familiar with using PowerPoint to create presentations and have attended the webinar or viewed the video (30 minutes) before they attend.
Contact ittraining@le.ac.uk if you have any questions.
Talk to the Staff Disability Adviser (staff only)
3 December 2024, Staff Health and Wellbeing Building
Booking slots:
- 1.00pm–1.40pm
- 2.00pm–2.40pm
- 3.00pm–3.40pm
Our Staff Disability Adviser is available to talk about disability and long-term health conditions, including neurodiverse conditions such as dyslexia, autism or ADHD.
Book a 40-minute one-to-one meeting to talk either about yourself, supporting colleagues or implementing reasonable adjustments for those you line manage. Find out more about some of the software we have available in the Software Centre that can be useful to help manage long-term conditions, as well as other support available either in-house or via Access to Work funding. This is available as part of the Disability Toolkit.
These are face-to-face meetings in the Staff Health and Wellbeing Building, but if you would prefer this to be an online (MS Teams) meeting, please select ‘yes’ when booking and our Staff Disability Adviser will send you a Teams meeting link for your chosen time.
Tools for neurodiversity - organise your workload with Planner
3 December 2024, 10.00am-–11.30am, online (MS Teams)
If you find it difficult to keep on top of your to-do list, Planner can help you to organise your tasks and track progress.
Following a demonstration, you will practice using Planner to:
- Structure a plan using Buckets
- Add tasks with checklists and due dates
- View the plan in different ways, e.g. by progress, due date and calendar view
- Create a personal plan using the Teams app
This online course has been scheduled for staff who are unable to come onto campus. Those who are able should sign up for the face-to-face course below.
Contact ittraining@le.ac.uk if you have any questions.
Tools for neurodiversity - organise your workload with Planner
4 December 2024, 1.30pm–3.00pm, Ken Edwards Building
If you find it difficult to keep on top of your to-do list, Planner can help you to organise your tasks and track progress.
Following a demonstration, you will practice using Planner to:
- Create a personal plan using the Teams app
- Structure a plan using Buckets
- Add tasks with checklists and due dates
- View the plan in different ways, e.g. by progress, due date and calendar view
This course is available to staff and students.
Contact ittraining@le.ac.uk if you have any questions.
Disabled Staff Network (Informal Meeting)
4 December 2024, 1.30pm–2.30pm, Ken Edwards Building, Room 3.22
An informal opportunity to meet others in the University and find out more about the forum. To help with catering numbers please could you let us know if you intend to attend. Please reply to our email address disabilitystaffforum@leicester.ac.uk with any dietary requirements by Friday 22 November.
You are still welcome to attend if you haven’t replied by then, but we might run low on refreshments to share.
Talk to the Staff Disability Adviser (Staff Only)
4 December 2024, 9.00am–10.40am, Staff Health and Wellbeing Building
Our Staff Disability Adviser (log-in required) is available to talk about disability and long-term health conditions, including neurodiverse conditions such as dyslexia, autism or ADHD.
Book a 40 minute one-to-one meeting to talk either about yourself, supporting colleagues or implementing reasonable adjustments for those you line manage. Find out more about some of the software we have available in the Software Centre that can be useful to help manage long-term conditions, as well as other support available either in-house or via Access to Work funding. This is available as part of the Disability Toolkit (log-in required).
These are face-to-face meetings in the Staff Health and Wellbeing Building, but if you would prefer this to be an online (MS Teams) meeting, please select ‘yes’ when booking and our Staff Disability Adviser will send you a Teams meeting link for your chosen time.
IDoDP Support Showcase
5 December 2024, 11.00am – 2.00pm, Union Studio, Percy Gee Building
All staff and students are invited to the IDoDP Support Showcase. This will be an opportunity to talk to various stallholders to find out about services and support available at the University of Leicester, that’s especially relevant to disabled staff and/or disabled students. There will also be freebies available!
No booking required.
The Winter's Tale by 1623 theatre company
6 December 2024, 7.00pm–9.00pm, Attenborough Arts Centre
UK premiere of Tracy Young’s gripping new translation of Shakespeare’s bold and moving play.
It’s the toughest winter ever in Sicilia Court, a rundown council estate still waiting to be levelled up. High costs and low wages mean cold homes, hungry stomachs and desperate minds – it’s impossible for anyone to hold their nerve here. When the king of the estate accuses his wife of cheating, he shames her in public and threatens anyone who dares to challenge him.
As jealousy and rage spiral out of control, unthinkable cruelty takes over the estate and everything falls apart. Is there any hope that the truth will out, and will the community ever recover?
The Winter’s Tale is co-created by Deaf, disabled, LGBTQ+, global majority and working class theatre makers.
Commissioned by Play On Shakespeare. Supported by Attenborough Arts Centre, Derby Theatre and Shakespeare’s Globe.
Accessibility: Featuring integrated BSL in some scenes, and creative audio description throughout the show. Saturday evening performance BSL interpreted. All performances captioned on personal devices.
The Winter's Tale by 1623 theatre company
6 December 2024, 2.30pm–4.30pm, Attenborough Arts Centre
UK premiere of Tracy Young’s gripping new translation of Shakespeare’s bold and moving play.
It’s the toughest winter ever in Sicilia Court, a rundown council estate still waiting to be levelled up. High costs and low wages mean cold homes, hungry stomachs and desperate minds – it’s impossible for anyone to hold their nerve here. When the king of the estate accuses his wife of cheating, he shames her in public and threatens anyone who dares to challenge him.
As jealousy and rage spiral out of control, unthinkable cruelty takes over the estate and everything falls apart. Is there any hope that the truth will out, and will the community ever recover?
The Winter’s Tale is co-created by Deaf, disabled, LGBTQ+, global majority and working class theatre makers.
Commissioned by Play On Shakespeare. Supported by Attenborough Arts Centre, Derby Theatre and Shakespeare’s Globe.
Accessibility: Featuring integrated BSL in some scenes, and creative audio description throughout the show. Saturday evening performance BSL interpreted. All performances captioned on personal devices.
The Winter's Tale by 1623 theatre company
7 December 2024, 7.00pm–9.00pm, Attenborough Arts Centre
UK premiere of Tracy Young’s gripping new translation of Shakespeare’s bold and moving play.
It’s the toughest winter ever in Sicilia Court, a rundown council estate still waiting to be levelled up. High costs and low wages mean cold homes, hungry stomachs and desperate minds – it’s impossible for anyone to hold their nerve here. When the king of the estate accuses his wife of cheating, he shames her in public and threatens anyone who dares to challenge him.
As jealousy and rage spiral out of control, unthinkable cruelty takes over the estate and everything falls apart. Is there any hope that the truth will out, and will the community ever recover?
The Winter’s Tale is co-created by Deaf, disabled, LGBTQ+, global majority and working class theatre makers.
Commissioned by Play On Shakespeare. Supported by Attenborough Arts Centre, Derby Theatre and Shakespeare’s Globe.
Accessibility: Featuring integrated BSL in some scenes, and creative audio description throughout the show. Saturday evening performance BSL interpreted. All performances captioned on personal devices.
Staff Neurodiversity Group
10 December 2024, 12.00pm–1.00pm, Astley Clarke, AC LG01 and online (MS Teams)
A staff group meets most months (hybrid), usually with a topic for discussion. We have a private Viva Engage group (previously called Yammer). A safe space for members of staff who identify, as being neurodivergent (ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia, Tourette’s or similar). No formal diagnosis needed.