A safe, supportive space

Carina Evans, Maddy Haywood, Rebecca Smith – Co-Chairs of Staff with Disabilities or Neurodiversity Network – share some information on the Network and how colleagues can join. 

“The Staff with Disabilities or Neurodiversity Network is all about creating a safe and supportive space where staff can meet, share experiences, opinions, and concerns, and work together to promote equality for staff with disabilities.  

“Our network includes staff with disabilities include physical differences (e.g. mobility, limb loss), hidden/invisible differences including neurodivergent (e.g., ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia) and learning disability, sensory differences or loss, hearing loss or d/Deaf, mental health and chronic illness conditions.

“As a member, staff will have the chance to participate in various activities like professional development, networking events, and social gatherings. We take privacy seriously—meeting invites and mailing lists won’t reveal who the members are to others, only the chairs have access to this information.

“However, please note that our meetings are held on Microsoft Teams, so members will be visible to each other. These meetings are a safe space for discussing personal topics, and anything shared is confidential and stays within the meeting.

“We also have a dedicated Microsoft Teams space with channels for meeting information, events, resources, materials, research, and general discussions. Any member can post in these channels.

“If staff would like to join our Teams space, they can indicate this on the new member form.

“Thank you so much for your support in helping us create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all staff members.”