Sign The Petition To Train Uni Staff On Neurodiversity
A petition is calling for universities to make their campuses more inclusive.
For those who are neurodivergent, university can be challenging in many ways. Unfortunately, many students across the UK are faced with challenges every day due to a lack of support from lecturers or a lack of understanding of what it means to be neurodivergent and the additional support that those students may need.
A new petition is going around calling on universities to train their staff on neurodiversity as a mandatory requirement, in order to effectively cater for neurodivergent students.
What is the petition for?
2.4% of the UK university population have autism and less than 40% of these individuals will go on to complete their course. This could be due to a lack of support and help available, discrimination from staff as well as a failure to acknowledge the needs of neurodivergent students and how their needs may differ from others on their courses. An example of this would be refusing to grant a coursework extension when it’s needed.
The petition is calling for training and awareness to be a mandatory requirement for everyone teaching at a UK university, in order to make campuses a more inclusive and safe environment for those who are neurodivergent.
Like with all petitions, if it reaches 10,000 signatures the government will respond to the petition and if it reaches 100,000 it will be considered for debate in Parliament. With just under 6,000 signatures at the time of writing, spreading and sharing the petition with friends will help to help make the voices of neurodivergent students across the UK heard.
How does neurodiversity impact students while studying?
We asked our Instagram followers to share their experiences at university while being neurodivergent.
Here are some of the things our followers shared with us:
“There is genuinely no support, I had to do everything independently”
“I have PTSD and uni is exhausting and unimaginable”
“I know a friend who failed a module due to lack of support and help”
“They accidentally sent me an email after an extended absence that they were kicking me out”
Based on these responses, it’s clear that the actions of this petition are urgently needed and that lecturers and campus staff need to be more educated on how to support and help those who are neurodivergent. University is for everyone and everyone should get the support they need to succeed and complete their degree.
Don’t forget to sign the petition and share it with your friends.
