Meet Carys Kennedy, winner of the NADP Deb Viney Award 2025

Having worked at the University’s Disability Service for 10 years, prior to your role within the Academic Practice team, how have you seen the landscape of disability inclusion shift in that time? 

I’ve definitely seen positive change during my time at UAL. One of the things I’m most proud of is that I now regularly hear colleagues talking about the social model of disability and what it means for their practice - something that definitely didn’t happen when I joined UAL in 2013! There’s been a gradual shift towards a whole university approach to inclusion, thanks to the development of a staff development programme focusing on disability equity. UAL's Disability Service is also undertaking sector-leading work in reducing barriers for students accessing individual support. This progress is wonderful to see, and I believe has a positive impact on the student experience.  

At the same time, there have been substantial cuts to Disabled Students’ Allowances in the last 12 years, and there are currently significant threats to social security and workplace support for disabled people. The political climate is increasingly hostile towards disabled people, and this has a negative impact on disabled staff and students alike – so, as a university, we must work even harder to mitigate against these disabling barriers. There’s still a long way to go!

You recently developed an e-learning module for staff: Introduction to Disability Inclusion at UAL. Why was this an important development for you and how has it been received/engaged with? 

I was asked to develop the module in response to the University of Bristol v Abrahart case, and the imperative for all student-facing colleagues to understand their role in meeting the needs of disabled students. While I really love delivering face-to-face workshops, which can be more discursive, the e-learning module is designed to be easier for Associate and Hourly Paid Lecturers to access, and is hopefully a helpful resource for colleagues to dip in and out of too. One of my personal ambitions in developing the course was to make it practical and applicable for our context at UAL, rather than just legal or theoretical.  It was a great opportunity to showcase the artwork of some of our disabled graduates, too! I crunched the numbers recently, and over 25% of UAL staff have engaged with the e-learning module, which is something I’m really proud of – although I would also love to see the e-learning module be considered for mandatory status at UAL too.

Many congratulations on your NADP Deb Viney award! What does it mean to you to be recognised in this way?

I’m a bit shocked, to be honest! The previous Deb Viney winners are an illustrious bunch, including UAL’s very own Caroline Huntley (Head of the Disability Service), so it’s an honour to join them. It means a lot to be recognised given that I’m no longer in a traditional ‘disability practitioner’ role; I’ve worked hard to integrate disability equity into my practice as an educator, so this award is hopefully a sign that I’m achieving that goal. One of my personal aspirations is to connect more with colleagues from other universities, to share some of the excellent practice that’s been developed at UAL – so I’m hoping the award gives me an opportunity to do that. I’ll be presenting some of my research about inclusive crits at the upcoming GLAD symposium, so do say ‘hello’ if you see me - I’m pretty recognisable!

Finally, can you share thoughts on what some of the next steps might be or any key considerations for establishing more inclusivity within higher education?

As Audre Lorde said, “There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives”, and disability justice is inextricably linked to so many issues that we’re facing in Higher Education at the moment: for example, the erosion of protections for trans, non-binary and intersex staff and students. So I’d love to see more joined-up approaches to inclusion in Higher Education, with experts in disability, anti-racism, LGBTQIA+ rights and climate justice working together and with students to ensure that we’re taking a truly intersectional approach to inclusion. There’s so much great work already happening, and this is – and must be - only the beginning.