The Disability Interest Group (DIG) team at Newcastle University have created this event to celebrate Disability History Month 2023 and we welcome you to attend!
What is the event?
The event will ask attendees to answer the question ‘What is a disability?’ and use the opportunity to promote disability support for staff, students, and raise awareness of the DIG network.
When and where?
The event will take place in the ground floor area next to the Courtyard Café on campus from 11am-1pm on Thursday November 30th, 2023.
The event will take place in the lobby outside the café entrance. All attendees will be offered a £1 voucher to use in the café and a free fidget toy to take away.
Why?
The DIG are keen to promote disability understanding and support on campus and have a conversation about disability and the variety of ways this can present and be experienced.
We are promoting awareness of the DIG network, whose membership is comprised of those with and without declared disabilities and all people who are allied to disability inclusion are welcome!
How?
Please come to the location of the event during the times stated, or take part online.
You can give your answer on a physical post-it note outside the courtyard café, or stick a virtual note on our padlet.
The courtyard café is on the ground floor of the Research Beehive in the Old Library Building, at the top of the quadrangle and opposite Merz Court and the Percy Building.
We’ll be in the stairwell area just outside the entrance to the café, between 11:00 and 13:00 on Thursday, 30th November.
Directions to the courtyard café.
The DIG will use the responses to create a blog post and will reflect on findings at a future DIG meeting.
You are welcome to ask any questions by attending the event or emailing contact.dig@newcastle.ac.uk.
Accessibility
The event is on a ground-floor location with access to the general public.
It is building 25 on the campus map and the North door, facing Merz Court, is the closest to the event location.
The Courtyard lobby area is through double doors on your left as you enter from the North entrance.
The entrance to the Old Library Building. 
Turn left after the sliding doors. 
Go through the automatic doors towards the Courtyard Café. 
The event will be held in this space, just before the main café area.
Toilets are nearby, to the right as you enter from the North entrance.
We will display written and visual information supported by team members who can talk with you about it.
For the talking-point (provocation question), you can write your suggestions or dictate them to a team member.
Post-it notes will be used to create a growing map of thoughts other attendees can respond to.
The online app is screen-reader and keyboard accessible.
Sadly, we do not have funding for BSL or other interpreters.
Please let us know if you have any other accessibility questions or needs for adjustments on contact.dig@newcastle.ac.uk.
We may ask if you are happy to be photographed attending the event, for publicity (internal or external) purposes. No photographs will be used without permission.
We may ask if you are happy to give an attributed quote for the blog piece. Otherwise we may edit and publish some (edited) answers that are non-identifiable.
We will take an estimate count of attendees.