Erryn Killiner

Hi there, my name is Erryn Killiner and I am campaigning to be your next Disabled Students' Officer! I am an English & Film Studies student with multiple disabilities and chronic illnesses and I have first hand experience of the injustices faced by the majority of this community. Inequality and ableism have no place at this university and if I am elected I will fight tooth and nail for every single person that has been victim to this treatment. It is time for change...Time for equality...and time for disabilities, mental health and chronic illnesses to be understood by the masses. 

I would like you to give me the opportunity to be the Disability Officer, to represent you over the next year with grace and passion. My core belief is that everybody, regardless of disability, mental illness or neurodiversity, has the right to the same treatment, respect and university experience. I will fight for the right to be treated equally within peer groups, the right to have the same opportunities and expectations as an able-bodied, neurotypical person, the right to accessibility in the physical and virtual world and the right to both academic and personal support systems.

If I am elected I will endevour to:

• Represent your views, expectations and needs within the university and Students Union by having an "open door" email policy for all students that identify as disabled, mentally ill or neuro-diverse to discuss their fears, experiences and wants/needs. My own experiences alone are not enough to adequately represent the range of disabilities students at QUB will have, which is why I will first of all endeavour to hold feedback sessions and drop-ins bi-weekly in order to find out if there are any issues which need addressing that I am not aware of. My email will always be open to all and I am happy to arrange meetings or phonecalls for those with vision problems or those that struggle with email formats.

• I will also campaign to promote mental health awareness, as a staggering amount of 9 out of 10 people say they still face discrimination as a result of suffering from a mental health condition. My campaign is unlike others in that I want to talk about BPD, ADHD, ASD, ADD, OCD and the myriad of other mental health struggles people face as well as the important discussions of depression and anxiety. People do not deserve to be ostracised or targeted for their mental health and I intend to put a stop to student/staff making a difference between individuals based on their mental health.

• Create a Dyslexia, Autism and Adaptive Learning Support Group that would host meetings on a weekly basis for individuals to share any concerns that they may have with people that can understand. I would also implore to get staff involved with this too and provide some additional support to those in need. The goal is to create a supporting community for those with learning difficulties of any kind that is open to absolutely anybody that may need it. Having a learning difficulty should not be a taboo subject and by introducing a support group of this calibre, I plan to achieve the normalisation of such; hence introducing a new level of equality to this community.

• Promote the concept that hidden disabilities require the same recognition that visible disabilities receive.  It has been noted that approximately 60% of people between the ages 18-64 suffer with an invisible disability (including myself), and as the Disabled Students' Officer I will campaign to promote awareness that not all disabilities are visible, but can still be hugely debilitating to those individuals suffering with them. I believe educating the other students, the staff and the community will have a monumental impact on those of you that are struggling with not being treated the same as able-bodied OR physically disabled students. These plans include raising awareness of rare and common invisible illnesses including (but in no way limited to) the spectrum of mental health problems, the autism spectrum, breathing conditions, movement conditions, chronic pain, organ-related conditions, memory loss, etc. People with invisible illnesses have been forced to suffer in silence for far too long and that will change with me in this role.

• Promote inclusion rather than exclusion of disabled students by openly discussing physucal accessibility within the university. Students with mobility aids (such as walking sticks, crutches and wheelchairs) or those with debilitating phobias (such as ) are being disregarded and often their education suffers because of this. I want to fight for a more physically accessible campus, no matter the course: having a handful of dedicated access-friendly rooms/lectures halls does not make this an accessible space. This attempt at inclusivity has had the opposite effect and many students with physical access requirements are now feeling isolated and ostracised. I will fight to change ALL branches of the campus to be generally more open plan with wider doors, lots of space in rooms, more bottom floor rooms and wider/less steep ramps.

• Set up meetings with you either as a group or individually to address any concerns and see what is/not working for you in your medical/academic support package. I will liase with the SU on your behalf to ensure that your disability/illness/condition is being properly supported to the fullest extent possible. No student should have to fight to get the support they need and deserve, no student should be in the dark about the process of applying for a package of care and no student should ever have their package withdrawn without their prior knowledge. I am demanding that the students are put first, even if that requires altering the current system of gaining medical/academic support because we ALL have the right to a good education and a good support plan is essential to many people achieving that.

I hope that you will vote for me in the elections and allow me the honour of becoming your voice for the upcoming year, and together we will develop equality for the disabled, mentally ill, chronically ill, neurodiverse student body within the learning environment. It is time for us to stand proud and fight for what we deserve - let me lead you to a brighter day for this community filled with support, access, equal opportunities, friendships and an unbelievable university experience. #VoteErrynKForABetterDay