On 19th November, DMU will mark the start of Disability History Month 2026 with four weeks of expert-led briefings exploring a range of disability awareness topics.
The programme will feature speakers from a range of leading national organisations, including the National Trust, Virgin Atlantic and AbilityNet. These sessions will share expertise, best practice, and real-world perspectives on accessibility and inclusion.
Whether you have a disability, support a disabled family member, friend or colleague, or simply want to broaden your understanding, these sessions will provide valuable insights into the experiences, environments and challenges that shape the lives of disabled people, through first-person stories, panel Q&A's, and talks that offer advice and support.
These events are open to all colleagues and students and are not limited to members of the Disability and Wellbeing Network.
The full programme of events is listed below. To add a session to your calendar, simply request a formal calendar invitation by contacting the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team at equality@dmu.ac.uk.
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Accessible travel – learn how Virgin airlines understand, empathise, and enhance the experience for disabled and neurodivergent travellers. Find out about the special assistance available by airlines, and at airports.
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John Fishwick - Customer Accessibility Manager at Virgin Atlantic
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Accessibility to the nation’s treasures – making the finest buildings and locations available to everyone. Find out how to access these treasures.
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Heather Smith - Head of Accessibility at the National Trust
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DMU Disability panel answering questions on all areas of physical disability and neurodivergence in an academic setting. Learn about the work of the members in the panel as they share their lived experiences.
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Jo Strange, Dionne Barton, Meredith Wilkinson, Chris Knifton, Imogen Varle, David Gordon
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Inclusive technology for all – the U.K.'s leading technology development and testing organisation for disabilities.
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Robin Christopherson - Head of Digital Inclusion at AbilityNet
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The rapid growth of the Snowball app – from Dragons Den to global collaboration with Google, and industry collaboration with disability focused organisations like Rightmove.
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Simon Sansome – CEO of the Snowball app
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Employment challenges facing our disabled and neurodivergent students. Understanding their experiences and how they can navigate these challenges.
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Creating human-centred workplaces - the UK’s leading jobs board to connect disabled jobseekers and recruiting organisations. Learn how your disabled students can experience understanding and openness in their job application.
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The latest phase of disability access to events and venues. Government policy and the entertainment industry trajectory.
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