With the applications for the new Disabled Students Group committee now open, I thought it was the perfect opportunity for me to share my experience as an officer on the committee and most recently, as chair.
This is also not only Hello to those of you who may not be familiar with me, but also Goodbye. I am not only coming to the end of my term at the DSG but also am no longer a student at the OU as I have accepted an offer to study an apprenticeship in Access and Inclusion – my dream job. This is something I would never have been able to do without my time at the DSG.
I joined the OU in October 2021 to study a BA in Social Sciences. This was after a few unsuccessful attempts at brick university and realising that my neurodivergent self needed an educational environment that didn’t involve as many of the social and real-world demands. I found the ability to do my OU work as and when I felt able to incredibly helpful and it enabled me to do my absolute best in every assignment. As I started to explore the student community at the OU I stumbled across the Students Association’s website and decided to check out the volunteer positions available for something extra to do.
The DSG elections were coming up and I put myself forward for the position of Events and Communications officer as I wanted to increase engagement for people like me at the OU and had lots of ideas of how to do this. At the time I had answered the telephone a total of three times in my life (excluding immediate family) after experiencing selective mutism as a teen but as well as participating in and now chairing monthly committee meetings since January 2022, I have since hosted the drop-in sessions consistently to an audience of up to 30/40 members including presenting information and quizzes.
This may seem like a humble brag (it probably is) but I believe that we should all celebrate our achievements and as disabled people this is even more crucial for our self-esteem and self-worth, in a world that often overlooks our little wins and takes them for granted as “easy” or something we should all be doing anyway. I would urge every single person reading this to be kinder to yourself and take your wins as they come.
If that means all you did today was get out of bed, you are amazing! If that means all you did was sit up in bed, you are equally as amazing. And even if you didn’t make it upright today, you can try again tomorrow and you still deserve to be proud of who you are and what you’ve done, regardless of whether it’s what society would measure as success.
All that to say, being part of the DSG committee has completely changed my life in more ways than I can explain. It has been a source of purpose and stability through otherwise uncertain times in my life and I am so grateful for that. I’ve made lifelong friendships, gained immense levels of confidence I’d never had before, and now have valuable experience I can transfer to other roles and situations. I can’t say for certain that I wouldn’t have been offered my new job without my time at the DSG, but I do know that it helped set me apart from other candidates and I may not have been drawn to apply in the first place without my two years of experience with the Association.
My time at the DSG has given me the passion and insight into accessibility that I need to succeed in my future role. I was already enthused by these issues through having a disabled parent and my own lived experience with disability, but this role has given me such a great sense of purpose in advocating for disabled students within the OU and I have thoroughly enjoyed and taken pride in being in a position to enact real change for disabled people, something which I will continue to do in my future role but on a much larger scale.
Through interactions with our members, I have been informed about issues that I had not been exposed to before when it comes to conditions and disabilities that I am not affected by myself (shout out to Marilin for teaching me all about Alternative Text and how important it is!) and this has been absolutely invaluable and taught me the importance of learning from others.
But I would also say that it has given me experience that’s highly transferrable and would help me in future roles in any sector such as:
- Communication and interpersonal skills
- Teamwork
- Organisation skills including delegation
- Experience with PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams
- Report-writing
- Basic social media including graphics
So, for anyone considering putting themselves forward for election, the benefits are of course numerous, but employability is certainly a huge one and the one I am highlighting the most with my story.
Another moment I would like to highlight is from the Groups Review in February 2022 where some of the committee came together on campus in Milton Keynes. It was just lovely to meet everyone, and the atmosphere was brilliant. The chance to get together with the Association and voice my opinions in front of an audience of other volunteers and staff was also a massive turning point for me when it came to my confidence and made me even more sure that I want to pursue a career where I can continue to do that.
Me (at the back) with Laura (Secretary), Hannah and Nichola 
Hannah, Nichola, Laura and I with Natalie Baker VP EDI
I have loved every second of my time with the DSG despite how tough things have been for the committee at times and I can’t wait to see how the next committee continue our legacy and fight for the needs of disabled students at the OU. I am determined to return to complete my undergraduate once I’m free to and look forward to seeing the great work the DSG does over the next two terms in my absence.
So no, not Goodbye, just “see you later”!
-Becca Phoenix
(Events & Communications Officer, DSG, 2022-2023
Acting Chair, DSG, 2023-2024)
If you are interested in applying to become a committee member for the next term (2024-2026) please visit the Get involved page to find out more.
0 Comments