Manifesto for UCCSU Disability Rights Officer

2011-2012 Antonia Virovska

Manifesto for UCCSU Disability Rights Officer 2011-2012 – Antonia Virovska

Oh, Hello!

My name is Antonia Virovska and I am the current UCCSU Disability

Rights Officer. I am running for re-election to the position for the 2011-2012

year because I feel my work with the role isn’t quite done yet; as the first

ever UCCSU Disability Rights Officer, it’s my responsibility to define the role

for all those who come after me and lay the foundations for the future. I’m

happy with all the work I’ve accomplished in these short five months, but I

just don’t think I’m done yet, and I want to give another year of my life to

working on this role in order to give it the security and cementing that it

deserves.

Obviously, the bulk of my relevant experience comes from my first

term of office as Disability Rights Officer J and for more details on that,

please see my Officer Report. I have also served as a class rep for the SU, as

Treasurer and later Auditor of the Genetics Society, and as Social Secretary

for the Philosoph. I am hard working, dedicated, and love the work I do for

students as the DRO J

I’m not asking for your vote because the position will look good on my

CV, and I’m not asking for it because I want to have another extracurricular

activity next year. I’m asking for your support because I feel I have laid the

foundations well for the Disability Rights Officer position, and because I feel

I’m the best person to build upon them for the next year. Please vote for me

to give another year of my life in service to the students of UCC and making

the DRO into the best position it possibly can be.

Finish the Job – Vote Virovska!

Manifesto for UCCSU Disability Rights Officer 2011-2012 – Antonia Virovska

My Plans – The Short Version:

• Reaching Out

o The tick-box mailing list

o Orientation Week

o Surveys

o More timely PR work

• Hidden Disability Week

o Themed awareness days

o Charity and outside-organisation involvement

o DSS information day

• Physical Disability Week

o Strengthening links with the IWA and IGDB

o Making the 24hr Wheelchair Challenge an annual fixture

o More wheelchair sport exhibition matches

• Working with AHEAD

o Strengthening the links I have established

o Encouraging AHEAD events to be held in Cork

o Promoting delegation places for UCC students

• Awareness Campaigns

o Other opportunities for awareness events outside the disability

weeks

o Talks from famous Irish people with disabilities

o Turning the spotlight on disability-related scientific

breakthroughs

• Working with Societies

o Supporting the founding of a disability-related society

Manifesto for UCCSU Disability Rights Officer 2011-2012 – Antonia Virovska

o Working with the Guild to make societies more disability-friendly

o Introducing the “Most Disability-Friendly Society” Award.

And now, the longer version:

Reaching Out

• Students who need to be assisted by the Disability Support Service

should be catered for from the moment they enter UCC. As a first step,

I will push for a “tick-box” system to be implemented, wherein

students can sign up for the DSS mailing list at the point of

registration; this would appear on students’ registration forms every

year, to allow for changes in circumstance.

• First year students in particular should receive as much disability-

related support as possible while they try to find their feet in College

life. I will investigate and hopefully implement disability awareness and

assistance training as part of the Peer Support Leader course, as well

as have a stand present on campus during Orientation Week where

students can ask questions about the DSS. If it is possible, I will also

push for the UCCSU DRO to be given the chance to speak to the First

Years during the orientation talks.

• Maintaining a strong line of feedback is critical to giving students the

best support possible. To best facilitate this, I will launch a twice-yearly

survey of all students where they can express their opinions on UCC’s

disability services.

• This year, all of the Equality Officers found themselves at an

organisational disadvantage due to being elected in October rather

than before the commencement of the academic year. Arguably the

area that suffered most because of this was PR operations. However, if

re-elected, I will have all of the disability-related events for Teaching

Period 1 organised and scheduled before the beginning of the

Manifesto for UCCSU Disability Rights Officer 2011-2012 – Antonia Virovska

academic year so that all PR work can be planned and executed far in

advance of the events.

Hidden Disability Week

• Hidden Disability Week shall be my focus for Teaching Period 1, and

include the following events:

o Dyslexia Awareness Day (similar to the one I organised this

year)

o Autism Seminar

o Mental Health Awareness Day

o DSS Information Day (it is vital that students know about the

services that the DSS provides)

• I will contact as many charities and organisations as possible to get to

them involved with their respective days, such as Urability.com,

PleaseTalk.ie, Irish Autism Action and Mad Pride Ireland.

• As well as the specific themed days, I have many other ideas that

could form a part of Hidden Disability Week, such as a talk on auto-

immune illnesses.

Physical Disability Week

• I would make Physical Disability Week the flagship event for Teaching

Period 2.

• Continuing the success of last year’s events, I would hope to make the

Irish Wheelchair Association and Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind an

important part of the week, as well as any other organisations

dedicated to working with the physically-disabled.

• I will organise the second UCCSU 24hr Wheelchair Challenge, which

shall hopefully cement its establishment as an annual event.

• Following on from the success of last year’s exhibition match, I will

organise more wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby games, and

involve as many students in participation as possible.

Manifesto for UCCSU Disability Rights Officer 2011-2012 – Antonia Virovska

Working with AHEAD

• AHEAD are a fantastic organisation, and maintaining and strengthening

the links I forged with them this year shall be key to the future of

Disability Officer role.

• I will encourage AHEAD to hold events in UCC such as conferences and

the “Get Ready for Work” workshop, possibly in collaboration with USI

(through the USI Equality Officer, Disability Officer, and Southern Area

Officer).

• I will encourage as many students as possible to attend AHEAD

conferences elsewhere as part of the UCC delegation.

Awareness Campaigns

• While a lot of focus will be spent on the Hidden Disability and Physical

Disability Weeks, there will be other awareness campaigns that will not

fit into those weeks; there are also 38 other college weeks where we

can hold events.

• First and foremost, any events that I cannot hold during the two

Disability Weeks will be held on other days throughout the year.

• I also want to organise a series of talks by famous Irish people with

disabilities, such as Gareth O’Callaghan.

• I will organise events that turn the spotlight on scientific breakthroughs

relevant to disabilities, such as the human exoskeleton featured on

TED.com.

Working with Societies

• I will give my full support and assistance to any students who wish to

establish a disability-related society, such as the “Inclusion and

Participation Society” or the “Stevie Wonder Society”.

• I will work with the Societies Guild to increase awareness of disabilities

within societies, and to promote disability-friendly ways of operating

societies.

Manifesto for UCCSU Disability Rights Officer 2011-2012 – Antonia Virovska

• I would like to introduce an award, either at the 2012 Stars or at the

2011/2012 SU Crossover, for the “Most Disability-Friendly Society” as

an incentive to achieve important goals in improving societies for

members with disabilities.