As we move into a new quarter, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the incredible work happening across our subgroups. What has everyone been up to?
Our tireless volunteers continue to make meaningful and positive contributions to advancing disability inclusion across the sector. Their dedication, insight and collaboration are what drive this network forward, and it’s inspiring to see the impact of their efforts.
We’re also pleased to share that all subgroups now have a dedicated page on our website. Keep checking back for updates, resources and opportunities to get involved.
Access to Work Users
We continue meeting for our monthly meetings on the second Monday of every month at 12 pm. In the meetings, we support each other by sharing our Access to Work-related insights and experiences and how we navigate barriers. We plan to produce resources to help Disabled staff who are new to Access to Work and support them with the application process.
We submitted an abstract for Leeds Disability Studies conference, and it was accepted. In the presentation in April, we plan to introduce the subgroup, raise awareness of our activities and promote what we do. We are also making connections with Access to Work Collective and the valuable work they do.
If you are interested in finding out more about who we are or would like to join the subgroup, you are very welcome to contact us.
Blind and VI Staff and PhD Students in Academia Network
No update this quarter.
Disabled Women in Academia Network
The Disabled Women in Academia Network turned 2 on international woman’s day 2026. We have had a great two years with guest speakers including senior female leaders within higher education. We have formed a collegiate network and are working on seeing how we can widen our impact as a group.
Neurodivergence Focus Group
The Neurodivergence Focus Group has been bringing people together by arranging meetings for all interested members to connect, share experiences, and help shape the direction of the group.
RIDE Higher
The analysis of data from National Disabled Staff Survey (NDSS, 2025), led by Professor Carol Evans, continues to be ongoing. However, the attached infographic shares the headlines and is sobering reading. This also led to the co-creation of a WONKHE article with Advance HE – What the first National Disabled Staff Survey tells us. A joint session off the back of this will take place at the Advance HE EDI Conference in March.
Elsewhere RIDE Higher as a group, as well as members of the steering committee (Professor Carol Evans, Professor Jackie Carter) answered the call put out by the Berkeley Center on Comparative Equality and Anti-Discrimination Law Disability Rights Working Group and the University of Queensland Law School and UQ Disability to contribute to their seminar on Making universities more inclusive for staff with disabilities back in October. This has been followed up by the acceptance of 3 chapters in January 2026 for the book summary.
The focus in recent months has been on the development of the RIDE Higher pages of the website and consideration has been paid to the content of these pages. Rachel Heyes has led this important work. Thinking about the website has led to a desire to develop our own ‘How to’ guidance documents to support disabled staff in HE. Examples may include ‘how to recruit inclusively’ and ‘how to support disabled staff with reasonable adjustments (for line managers)’. Members of the steering committee are developing drafts of guidance for review. A key priority is to work with the website designer team to help get the RIDE Higher pages ready for launch later in 2026.
Finally, NADSN/RIDE Higher was featured in Professor Jackie Carter’s podcast series Let’s Talk Disability | Disability Inclusion in Higher Education: Stories, Advocacy & the RIDE Higher Initiative, plans are in place to deliver a ‘5 Wishes’ Webinar with UCU, and as always we continue to welcome opportunities to advocate for disabled staff and champion the work of NADSN. The NDSS will be repeated bi-annually, with the next launch in January 2027.
Dr Melanie Best
STEMM Action Group
White Paper for Inclusion in STEMM: One Year On
Neurodivergent and disabled people contribute significantly to the economy in this country, known as the purple pound. Science especially is an area that benefits from the problem-solving skills of alternative ways of thinking or empathy developed from different life experiences, but the institutions and career structures are not designed to include people who are different.
The NADSN white paper: Towards a Fully Inclusive Environment for Disabled People in STEMM is an evidence-based document that sets out practical actions that can be implemented in the short-, medium-, and long-term by employers, funding bodies, policy makers, and professional bodies. It was released in March 2025.
Yet one year on we are still fighting stereotypes of disabled people being lazy or uncapable or high calibre jobs. Government cuts to support programmes for keeping people in work, and backlash against EDI initiatives coupled with harmful dehumanising rhetoric scapegoating disabled people. The white paper is more critical than ever as it not only defies the problem but provides credible powerful solutions at multiple levels.
The National Association of Disabled Staff Networks is an organisation to promote disability equality and campaign for disabled staff networks to be supported in the workplace.
The white paper can be downloaded from our page on the NADSN website: STEMM Action Group.
This site will also list all of our latest campaigns and outputs. Please disseminate. For more information, contact uk.nadsn@gmail.com.
Dr Jasleen Kaur Jolly
Keep up the fantastic work, everyone. I know that we’re all proud to be part of such a committed and passionate community.