I'm a strong believer in standing up for the most vulnerable in our society. Whether it be on human rights, mental health or campaigning against cuts, I have always fought for what I believe in. In the last two years, I've organised vigils and campaigns to highlight the refugee crisis, as well as working with the Children's Trust to help children with brain injury to raise thousands of pounds.
Healthcare provision in our country is at crisis-point. We all know how the Government's policies have harmed disabled people, with DSA being cut by £30 million and 1,500 fewer beds for mental health patients than in 2010. We can't allow this to go on any longer. We need strong action to help disabled people now, and if you elect me, I promise that strong action is what our community will have!
Over the last year, I've promoted mental and physical health in Exeter, helping to organise the first Disabled Students Forum. This provided a safe space to talk openly about a range of disabilities and hear from professionals about their experiences of disability on a personal level as well as in the workplace. I'm also running as a Labour candidate in May, helping to write the county manifesto and making health one of the central issues, pledging to increase funding for mental health.
If elected, I want to work with student unions to set up disability support groups in universities and colleges across the country. I will support student unions in lobbying universities to have universal mitigation policies and improved training for academic staff to support disabled students. I will work with the media and lobby MPs to ensure that disabled students' voices are heard.
By doing this, I want to build on the amazing work our campaign has achieved. I want to promote the on-going mental health and suicide prevention campaign to further support Student Unions to improve their work in this area. I also want to focus on the transition from Disabled Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payments which has already resulted in disabled people being denied support, with up to 200,000 expected to lose the benefit altogether. This is a critical issue, and if elected, I will lobby MPs and the media to protect disabled students from these unfair cuts.
I also want to promote intersectional disability. Every person's experience of disability is different, and it is vital that we promote all sections of disabled students to improve accessibility. I want to build a support system that helps all disabled students, by working with Student Unions to provide better training for staff and support for students.
We have come a long way promoting the rights for disabled students, but there’s still so much more to be done. When I applied for mitigation because of my severe migraines, I felt every obstacle was put in my way. I received no support from the Wellbeing Centre due to a months-long waiting list and it was a very isolating experience. My story is not unique; across the country, disabled students face a lack of support and a system not designed to be accessible. We should all have the opportunity to pursue and achieve our own goals, and if elected, I will fight every day to make our dreams a reality.