Disability Equality Group (DEG)

The University of Exeter has been a Disability Confident Employer since 2014 and has engaged with Time to Change and Mindful Employer accreditations as well.

Following on from the University's engagement in these Disability equality accreditations, the Disability Equality Group meets termly to discuss a range of disability-related issues affecting staff and students at our institution and monitor our Disability Equality Action Plan. (A PDF version of the DEG Action Plan will be published soon).

The Group is chaired by Professor Neil Gow, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Impact) and brings together academic and professional services staff, students and colleagues from the Students' Guild (Devon) and the Students' Union (Cornwall).

Current Members

Role	Name
UEB Level Chair	Professor Neil Gow
Academic Member	Professor Louise Lawrence
Academic Member	Claire Lavers
Academic Member	Kara Reilly
Students' Guild Representative	Emma de Saram
Students' Union Representative	Kira Orchard
Disabled and Chronically Ill Network Co-Chairs	Kara Reilly Gemma Delafield Rachel Lennon
Cornwall Disability Network Co-Chairs	Yasmin Pullen Molly Kressler Dan Padfield
Neurodivergent and Disabled Student Society	Grace Poulton Dorian Poulton Meg Hatfield
HR Policy Team Representative	Andrew Johnson
AccessAbility/Wellbeing Representative	Ian Goodchild
Estates Representative	Ian Millar
CIOSS Representative	Peter Scargill
DCO College of Medicine and Health	Rachel Burn
Project Support	Tom Caro
PPBI Representative	Taylor Watson
Staff Wellbeing Representative	Toni Searle/Kim McNicholl
Student Wellbeing Representative	Mark Sawyer
Exeter IT Representative	Jasmine Barton
HR Business Partner	Andy Daniels
EDI Lead	Beau Bell
EDI Advisor	Lena Worwood

Current DEG priorities

Rationale	Action
Disclosure rates for disabilities are low sector wide and by increasing the visibility of disability and further demonstrating executive level support for disability inclusion we can create an environment where conversations about disability can be more open and effective.	Build our inclusive culture of support within the University community, encouraging visibility and pride
Disclosure of disability is a complex subject and providing bespoke individual support can be resource intensive. Producing more accessible courses, with options on how to learn and be assessed, and clear signposting options to wellbeing will allow us to meet student needs far more effectively.	Understand and feedback on wellbeing pathways and Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) to build our inclusive education activities
Providing reasonable adjustments at interview stage is not only a legal requirement but is vital to ensuring we attract the best candidates. Providing better sign posting to support, highlighting information about reasonable adjustments, and improving accessibility in all stages of the recruitment process will allow us to remove unfairness from the recruitment process.	Ensure that disabled applicants are supported, and our recruitment processes are fully accessible
Retention of disabled staff is highly reliant on their needs being met in the workplace and many organisations are supporting this through processes that allow employees to record reasonable adjustments and pass them on to new line managers. In a flexible workplace where jobs and line management structures are subject to change, this is necessary to provide safe, accessible, and therefore efficient, working environments.	Create procedures to ensure disabled staff are supported when they change jobs
Line managers can require additional support to meet the needs of disabled staff including extra resources, further training, and support in creating a more open culture around conversations about disability.	Improve line managers' awareness of processes related to Occupational Health and reasonable adjustments