Blog: What a busy Welcome Week

What a busy Welcome week, by Olivia Bailey (Student EDI Ambassador)

On Sunday of arrivals weekend, students were welcomed to the Wellbeing Marque, where they got creative and decorated a plant pot for their room. It was lovely to see so many students arriving with their new flatmates to meet others in a relaxed and inclusive environment. Students also had the opportunity to write on a postcard what accessibility means to them and post it in the box. We recognise that not all students are comfortable contributing verbally and this allowed students to share their thoughts in an accessible way.

Alongside the activity, we were also informing students about the Disabled Students' Contribution Group . The group provides the opportunity for disabled students to share their insights and ideas, which are subsequently used by staff to increase the accessibility of aspects of university life. We want to know what issues you are facing and what matters to you, so these can be prioritised and actioned. The group also provides the opportunity to meet like-minded peers, boost your CV and gain recognition via the Birmingham Award. We hope to reach disabled students of all different intersectional identities and would love for more people to join, so that all disabled students are represented in the student voice.

Students were also invited to write a message about the ‘Sense of Belonging’ on a piece of artwork created by a student at the University of Amsterdam, who we have an EDI partnership with. Students loved this, and it was great to see so many students from all different cultures writing positive messages on what inclusivity means to them.