UCL Inclusion Awards 2024: Well done Brain Sciences!

By b.isibor, on 15 July 2024

The UCL Inclusion Awards recognise the work or contributions that individuals or teams make to progressing equality, diversity, or inclusion practice within UCL. We’re delighted that several staff and students in the Faculty of Brain Sciences have been nominated and shortlisted for these awards.

Congratulations to the outstanding staff and students shortlisted in each category. Your remarkable efforts in advancing equality, diversity, and inclusion contribute to a better UCL. On behalf of the Faculty EDI Team, we are immensely proud of all you do. Below are the shortlisted nominees for each category.

Provost’s award for embedding equality, diversity & inclusion (staff only)

• Jess Jiang, Institute of Neurology

Sarah Guise Award for Catalyst for Change

• Alan Thompson, Faculty Office
• The Staff-Student Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (SSEDI) at the Anna Freud Centre, led by Vanessa Puetz & Lili Ly, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences
• Psychiatry/REED Group Black History Month Outreach Project team: Jane Hahn, Rachel Royston, Lauren Harding-Brown, Bori Vegh, Nafiso Ahmed, Division of Psychiatry
• Rawleka Wilson, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences
• Sharvari Patil,  Division of Psychology and Language Sciences

Sir Stephen Wall Award: Inspiring Role Model

• Comfort Ogbonnaya & Elena Zeniou, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences

Championing Disability Inclusion at UCL

• Calum Medlock and Varsha Ravikumar, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences
• Georgia Pavlopoulou, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences

Award for EDI Excellence

• The National Autism Trainer Programme team: Georgia Pavlopoulou , Claire Evans, Hanna MacDonald, Arshia Choudhrie, Dominique Gardner, Ruth Moyse, Venessa Bobb Swaby, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences
• The Staff-Student Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (SSEDI) at the Anna Freud Centre, led by Vanessa Putz & Lili Ly, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences
• Kenneth Harris and Matteo Carandini lab, and in particular, Rebecca (Bex) Terry, Karolina Socha, Enny van Beest, Institute of Neurology

Also, congratulations to all those who were nominated from Brain Sciences, listed below:

• Benjamin O’Callaghan
• Helene Plun Favreau
• Karolina Socha & Bex Terry
• Katerina Fotopoulou
• Natalie Marchant
• Professor Fred Dick
• Professor Tim Levine
• Sam Gilbert
• Anna Cox
• Diana Sefic-Svara
• Heather Ormsby
• Helen Baker
• Karolina Socha
• Professor Leslie M Gutman
• The DClinPsy Staff EDI Team: Dr Chelsea Gardener, Dr Leanna Ong, Dr Elizabeth Hogg, Dr Shah Alam, Dr Hestia Moningka
• Dorottya Hetenyi
• George Joseph
• Adam Parker & Louise Neil
• Bex Terry, Karolina Socha, Enny van Beest
• Kenneth Harris & Matteo Carandini lab, and in particular, Bex Terry, Karolina Socha, Enny van Beest
• Professor Gabriella Vigliocco & Mr Rik Ganly-Thomas
• Dr Bhavana Solanky

Each of these remarkable nominees has embraced innovation and dedication to drive positive changes at UCL. Their contributions have been rightfully acknowledged by colleagues across the Faculty and wider UCL.

The award winners will be announced at an in person ceremony on July 16 2024. Good luck to all of these impressive shortlisted nominees from the Faculty of Brain Sciences!

Highlights from the UCL Centre for Equality Research in Brain Sciences Annual Seminar

By b.isibor, on 15 July 2024

The annual seminar kicked off with Prof. Aikaterini Fotopoulou, Director of the ERB Centre, celebrating the centre’s achievements since its launch in April 2023. She highlighted the funding of 11 projects and the critical role of embedding equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in research to benefit higher education and society. 

Dr. Natalie Marchant, Inclusive Research Sampling Lead, followed with insights on the importance of representative participant inclusion in Dementia research. Post-lunch, Dr. Leslie Gutman discussed workplace wellbeing during the pandemic, emphasising EDI practices in mental health support.

Professor Anna Cox and collaborator Alex Tcherdakoff presented on the challenges of UCL’s digital systems for students with ADHD and autism, highlighting sensory overload and complex workflows.

Patrizia Pezzoli addressed the lack of diversity in mental health research among journal editors, calling for practical actions to enhance inclusivity.

Rachel Rees shared findings on attainment inequalities faced by ethnic minority students in speech and language therapy programs, stressing the need for inclusive initiatives and clearer processes for reporting racism. Joan Nika discussed a project on EDI in neuroimaging, aiming to make research more inclusive by identifying barriers and proposing solutions.

Dwaynica Greaves discussed a project on EDI in neuroimaging, aiming to make research more inclusive by identifying barriers and proposing solutions. 

Jo Cammack and Rashmi Mathew are investigating differences in the lived experience of White and global majority Early Career Researchers, and the potential impact on academic progress and wellbeing.

Anna Volkmer and Kerry Dathan explored access barriers for diverse populations with rare forms of dementia, aiming to improve diagnosis and support through cultural understanding and awareness. 

Dr. Lisa Quadt, keynote speaker, presented novel findings on neurodivergent wellbeing, linking neurodevelopmental conditions with higher rates of musculoskeletal pain and joint hypermobility, emphasizing the need for early detection and support. 

The seminar concluded with heartfelt thanks to Anna Cox, Vice Dean for EDI, for her contributions as she passes the torch to Leslie Gutman. The event ended on a high note, with a look forward to more groundbreaking research and initiatives from the ERB Centre. For more information or to get involved, visit the ERB webpage.

Till next time!

Conversation with Professor Mala Rao on Race Equity and Equality

By b.isibor, on 3 May 2024

Professor Mala Rao OBE is a professor and senior clinical fellow of public health at the Department of Primary Care and Public Health, as well as director of the Ethnicity and Health Unit at Imperial College London. In addition, Professor Mala serves an adviser to the NHS England Workforce Race Equality Standards group and is also Vice Chair of WaterAid UK. In a distinguished career she has gained international recognition for her pioneering work on race equality, workforce development, environmental health and was also a co-founder of the NHS Race and Health Observatory.  Her work on the intersection of race, health, climate, sanitation, and gender equity has earned her global appreciation and respect and campaigned for raising awareness about the impact of climate change and eco-anxiety on patient wellbeing and mental health. Professor Mala has been an advocate for race equity and pioneered several significant and influential initiatives to address health inequalities and diversity in healthcare. It is a real honour and pleasure to have a discussion on race equity with Professor Mala for our Race Equity Blog at UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences.

1. How has your cultural background influenced your perspective on life and your values?

I am Indian by origin and lived in India until my graduation in medicine. My family was largely made up of academics, engineers and civil servants with a deep commitment to contribute through their own spheres of influence to achieving socio-economic equality in India. I feel certain that this background explains my determination to work towards health equality, a theme which has underpinned my career and indeed my final years of undergraduate medical studies when I had decided that I would specialise in public health.

2. Can you share a significant experience from your childhood that shaped who you are today?

I was very aware from a young age that my maternal grandmother who I absolutely adored, was unusual in having been university educated and the headmistress of a girls’ school. She was widowed at a very young age and at a time when early twentieth century cultural norms in India would have compelled her to be marginalised and voiceless. Determined that this should not be her fate, her father, my great grandfather, encouraged her to return to her education, regain her self-esteem and confidence and pursue life as she wanted to. She became a deeply loved and admired head teacher, often spending her own modest income to purchase books for students growing up in poverty. My passion for gender equality and for speaking up on behalf of marginalised individuals or communities were probably shaped by such instances in my family history.

3. What do you believe to be the potential barriers or challenges to the concept of race equity in higher education?

 There are many barriers to race equity, and I lead the writing of a paper published in 2022 the BMJ which summarised these obstacles. A key issue is that every aspect of research – its commissioning and funding, implementation and publication – has structural barriers embedded in its processes and systems. All these barriers could be removed but the leadership of research funding organisations and academia remain largely indifferent. Added to this is the new challenge of ethnic minority people appointed to leadership positions denying the existence of racism and discrimination. 

4. Similarly, what are the potential barriers or challenges race equity in health care and medicine?

 In health care and medicine too, there are barriers in every aspect of health delivery. Evidence on access to health care, the experience of the workforce in terms of careers and opportunities, and how medicines and technology are developed demonstrate race inequalities.

5. What specific strategies or initiatives do you think are useful for promoting race equity in higher education and/or healthcare?

A systematic approach lead by people who have a deep understanding of the root causes of these inequalities is needed, if the NHS leaders are serious about achieving race equity.

6. Are there any personal stories or case studies that you can that illustrate the importance of race equity?

I would refer anyone interested in this to read the reports (Why Diversity Matters, Delivering through Diversity and Diversity Wins) of a series of investigations across hundreds of companies carried out by Mckinsey in 2015, 2018 and 2020 to examine the business case for racial and gender diversity. Their findings showed that for companies with  diversity in executive teams, the likelihood of outperforming industry peers on profitability had increased over time, while the penalties were getting steeper for those lacking diversity. There also continued to be a higher likelihood of outperformance difference with ethnicity than with gender although both were linked with better performance. The positive impacts are likely to be replicated in health research and delivery, if actions were to be taken to achieve race and gender equity. 

7. Are there any resources you can recommend for individuals or organizations interested in advancing race equity?

There are many reports and resources being published and I would urge anyone interested to search for these as they are relatively easy to find on the internet. One publication which brings together the evidence on the health workforce as well as from health care is the 15 February 2020 special issue of the BMJ entitled Racism in Medicine which I had the privilege of co-guest-editing. This publication is a good place to start, for those who are unfamiliar with the literature on this topic. Colleagues may also wish to read the report of a review I lead in 2014, to assess the likely drivers of lower levels of wellbeing in ethnic minority communities in England. Launched at the House of Lords, this report was first to sensitise NHS leaders to the effects of racism and discrimination in the NHS and in our communities, and influenced the establishment of the Workforce Race Equality Strategy Advisory Group at NHS England.

8. What is your feeling on the role of privilege and allyship in advancing race equity education and healthcare?

I believe that allyship is crucial to secure enduring change. I emphasise at every talk I give, that the allyship of white colleagues is much needed, if systemic barriers to race equity are to be dismantled.

9. Do you envision a more equitable future in terms of race equity and social justice?

  I am an optimist, so yes, I do believe we will achieve greater equity and social justice not just in terms of race but also gender, given the significant intersection between the two dimensions.

10. Who has been the most influential person (or persons) in your life, and why?

The most influential people in my life have been my family – my husband for being the best sort of critical friend and ally, my parents, grandmother and other ancestors for the values they taught me, and my lovely daughters and grandchildren who constantly remind me as to why I want to keep working towards a just and equitable society.

11. What are some hobbies or interests you have that might surprise people?

My interests, such as reading and walks in British countryside are in general not surprising. I guess one interest which is generally not associated with Asian women of my generation is that I have attended the keep fit class in my village for many decades. I am just another villager in that context, throwing myself into a routine of jumping jacks and the rest!

12. Can you share a memorable travel experience and how it impacted you?

I have been a regular visitor to India because of my family connections with the country. I was also fortunate to return to live and work there between 2008 and 2014, having served as the inaugural director of Public Health Foundation of India’s Institute of Public Health in Hyderabad until 2011. Throughout my adulthood I have been very aware of the impact of socio-economic status, gender and other determinants on the health and wellbeing of people in India. But the immersive experience of living and working there more recently, vastly enhanced my knowledge and understanding not only of the systemic and societal challenges, but more importantly the innovation, resourcefulness, humanity and hope, often with women in the lead, which help drive positive change in the harshest circumstances. As a result, I am convinced that there is much that the UK can learn from low and middle income countries on how to continue to strive for health equity in these resource-constrained times.

Written by Dr Bilal Malik UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences Race Equity Team

Faculty Career Surgeries are Back!

By b.isibor, on 3 May 2024

Faith in the Faculty with Lloyd Naylor

By b.isibor, on 17 March 2024

Our Faculty’s Religion and Beliefs Equity Lead, Annouchka Sterling, has created a blog called ‘Faith in the Faculty’ where she asks staff members interesting questions about their personal relationship with their religion and beliefs, and how it influences their roles at UCL.

Lloyd Naylor, Customer Operations Director, ISD (& Mohammed’s line manager)

• Who is Lloyd Naylor? Three words to best describe you…

Curious, optimistic, consistent

• What life lesson have you learnt since the pandemic?

The more diverse the groups of people you talk and work with, the better formed and informed your decisions will be, you’ll have more impact as a collective.

• How would you explain your work to a young person?

To my kids, “lot’s of meetings on how we can make UCL better through tech”.

To people I meet “I work for UCL”. It’s the first time in my career that I felt an organisation did so much good that working there was enough description.

• Tell us something about yourself that would surprise us?

I love looking after bonsai trees, it’s restful, fulfilling and provides respite from looking after the kids.

Someone I told this to a few years back interrupted with “You even have to control what happens to trees” – very insulted!

• What’s your faith background, if you have one? How did you grow up?

My mother was a Christian, she didn’t go to Church very often, but did hold a strong belief. Surprisingly, she didn’t want to indoctrinate her 4 children, so didn’t have my brother and sisters christened, preferring to let them decide for themselves later in life. I’d have been in the same position as my siblings if it weren’t for a serious early childhood illness, the doctors told my mother there was a high chance of death, so she had me christened.

Though I was christened, I’ve turned out like my siblings, not aligned to any religion. All four of us put great value in doing the right things for other people and society, which is an aspect I see in most religions. I do spend time meditating, which helps me reflect, creates tranquillity, and helps me process things clearly.

• How do your values and/or faith impact your citizenship of UCL?

I try really hard to conduct myself with a high level of empathy, I genuinely want to know others’ opinions, thoughts and how they feel. This provides a real human connection which is valuable for me, and hopefully for them too. The phrase “walk a mile in their shoes” goes through my head often.

• What is your highest aspiration for interfaith cooperation at UCL?

For individuals that want to discuss their beliefs to have a forum and/or place where they feel able to do so with likeminded, caring and curious people for the betterment of everyone involved.

This doesn’t sound very aspirational, but I’ve struggled to do this, probably through some of my own nervousness, so small steps, right?!

• Tell us how being open to/open about faith and spirituality with your colleague/line manager has impacted your working relationship?

I’ve learnt lots about not only my colleagues’ faith, but also other faiths, as our conversations have tweaked both of our curiosities. I feel we can discuss many subjects, not only faith, at a far less superficial level as we have got the biggie under our belts already.

There’s a weight off my shoulders, as I don’t feel like I need to skirt around the subject of faith due to unfounded concerns about how he would respond or making him uncomfortable. I hope this makes me a better manager.

IWD 2024: Inclusion and Community-Engaged Projects at UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences.

By b.isibor, on 4 March 2024

The theme of International Women’s Day 2024 is ‘Inspire Inclusion’. With that in mind, this blog celebrates the work of brilliant colleagues at UCL in developing a new module ‘Exploring Power, Inclusion and Exclusion with Local Communities’. They are: Stefanie Anyadi (Team Manager, Teaching & Learning, Psychology & Language Sciences), Anne Laybourne (Head of Volunteering, UCL), Sophie Scott (Director for EDI, Psychology & Language Sciences), Victoria Showunmi (Associate Professor of Education, Practice & Society, Institute of Education), and Marie Xypaki (now Head of Teaching and Learning Enhancement, SOAS).

This Masters-level module is attached to the Division of Psychology and Language sciences but it is truly interdisciplinary, bringing together students from across UCL with community partners to work on a project. The current module convener is Vincent Walsh.

How did the module come about?

The module came about because through my work with staff on implicit bias and EDI related issues, it became apparent that there was a gap for UCL students interested in this area: there were no modules available for them to study issues of exclusion, privilege and power and their current, local impact. Marie Xypaki, who was then working at UCL Arena, was a keen collaborator in developing a module proposal under the umbrella of the UCL East modules. These are a suite of elective modules designed to be interdisciplinary and focusing, where possible, on working with several boroughs in East London. We soon linked up with Sophie Scott and Victoria Showunmi, who designed the content of the module and ran its first presentation in 2022/23. 

Stefanie Anyadi

We had a range of meeting over a period of 2 years. It was an exciting way to bring together different thoughts and disciplines to enable the students to deliver something for and with the community. Wonderful way to do Blue Sky Thinking with colleagues who wanted to make an impact with student voices.

Victoria Showunmi

What do students do and what is the role of the community partner?

 The students have lectures and discussion sessions around – for example – disability, identity and difference, the point of public engagement and coproduction of research, and they also work on projects with community groups and associations.

Sophie Scott

Much of the thinking was based around Victoria’s  work on ‘Who Are You?’ which engages students with critical reflectivity and thinking beyond one’s own individual boundaries. It was risking yet very powerful. Understanding themselves helps with understanding others.  Sophie’s work on happiness was core to the work. Students selected roles which included leadership so this could be added to their portfolio.  They needed to reflect on how there group worked as a team along with how they were including challenges and solutions.

Victoria Showunmi

Last year the students worked with the Black Women’s Kindness Initiative on organising a fashion event. They worked on many different aspects of the project, from designing posters and pamphlets, encouraging local businesses to donate items for goodie bags, helping with the logistics of the actual evening. They were so enthusiastic and engaged, it was fantastic.  

Sophie Scott

It was an incredible aligning of the stars initially; I was meeting with Cherrill Hutchinson anyway, about students doing their dissertations on something that could be useful for Black Woman’s Kindness Initiative. Cherrill mentioned an event she was trying to pull of for IWD 2023, which was around 12 weeks away at the time. I had a lightbulb moment and joined the dots – Cherrill’s event and ideas are all around black women and empowerment and breaking down stereotypes about the strong black woman and needed support as a small community organisation. I had 10 amazing students on a module, who needed a real life, impactful community-based project.

Anne Laybourne

Further information can be found at https://studentsunionucl.org/articles/learning-through-volunteering

How did the participants react? Were there any positive impacts?

From the students’ reflections, it was clear that they really loved the opportunity to do community work, and many of them singled out Adam Rutherford’s lecture on racism in science as something that really made them think differently! From my perspective, it was a very positive experience and it was great to work with the students alongside Victoria and Anne.

Sophie Scott

Cherrill was fantastic and really embraced and understood the learning experience of the students. My favourite thing was Cherrill telling me she had recorded herself arriving at UCL for her Instagram as no one would believe she was turning up to the new gorgeous East campus to teach!! It was a powerful moment. I know Cherrill was nervous but she was incredible in the classroom and brought a totally different perspective and angle than any of us UCL ‘providers’! We are really grateful to Cherrill for putting her faith in our students last year and jumping into the unknown with me.

Anne Laybourne

Watching the students grow and think differently.  More work needed to be done on the benefit of the critical reflective journal. 

Victoria Showunmi

Do you have any thoughts on how inclusion and community involvement could be embedded within other parts of UCL?

Well it did occur to me that, although the course ran out of UCL East, we also have a local community here in Camden! I think the sky is the limit for this kind of work – it’s such a positive experience for students, as well as staff, and there is so much more we can do. In reality, the actual limit is Anne Laybourne’s time – she’s amazing and is fantastic with the community groups but she is just one human being and there are only so many hours in a day!

Sophie Scott

Having a panel of community members (something like dragons’ den) and a prize for the most effective group is something I wanted to do but ran out of time. would be great, I am so pleased that sister systems is now part of the programme.

Victoria Showunmi

This year has been quite the step up – it has been a very different experience, pulling together five projects, as the module has grown. I brought in Molly McCabe this year, who is currently managing the Community Research Initiative. Molly has done an amazing job, working up project ideas with our community partners – the offer being what can we do with and for you with a team of four student volunteers over 6-8 weeks? It hasn’t been easy as there a lot more moving parts! We’ve had our first ‘fail’, with illness and some inexperience plus miscommunication contributing factors. But this is also a success – it’s messy real life, right?! It is SUCH a strong element of this module that there is a reflective assessment. This means the students will always be rewarded. Our specialism is to hold and repair relationships with our community partners so that something is salvaged for them when things go ‘wrong’.

Anne Laybourne

For more information about the UCL Community Research Initiative, and how to get involved in community-engaged projects, see https://studentsunionucl.org/volunteering/cris/ or contact the UCL Community Research Initiative Manager Molly McCabe.

Many thanks to the contributors to this blog for their generous help!

Mental Health Career Workshop for Black Students

By b.isibor, on 4 March 2024

This blog was authored by the Race Equity & Ethnic Diversity (REED) Group at DoP: Jane Han, Lauren Harding-Brown, Borbala Vagh, Nafiso Ahmed, and Rachel Royston.

There is a lack of Black representation in mental health careers. According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency, around 1% of professors came from Black backgrounds in the UK. In terms of clinical practice, only 9.6% of qualified clinical psychologists were from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds according to the NHS Workforce Statistics. Black voices in mental health careers matters because it contributes to culturally competent research and clinical practice.

In order to reduce this inequity, it is important that young Black students interested in mental health are able to start their career in academia and clinical practice. Therefore, the Black History Month committee based in the UCL Division of Psychiatry hosted a mental health career workshop for Black undergraduate students on November 29th. The aims of the workshop were to equip students with the proper tools to navigate the early stages of their career after their undergraduate qualification.

The workshop had a plethora of speakers from academic and clinical backgrounds, who shared wonderful, inspiring stories about their career trajectories. Many have presented the multiple challenges that came along with establishing a career in mental health and the practical guidance on how to overcome these challenges. Committee members delivered insight and resources into applying for careers in mental health. The workshop ended with a 1:1 mentoring session from staff from the Division of Psychiatry.

Students overall reported that they found the workshop incredibly helpful. One student said that the most important thing gained in the workshop was “that there is space in academia for someone like [them].” Another student reported that they found the workshop “really helpful and encouraging”, and they “definitely left feeling confident and hopeful.” Another student commented that they were “considering UCL for their MSc next year.”

We would like to thank everyone who attended and supported the workshop. We hope that the workshop contributes to the series of concerted efforts to promote equity within mental health careers.

Faith in the Faculty with Mohammed Aufogul

By b.isibor, on 5 February 2024

Our Faculty’s Religion and Beliefs Equity Lead, Annouchka Sterling, has created a blog called ‘Faith in the Faculty’ where she asks staff members interesting questions about their personal relationship with their religion and beliefs, and how it influences their roles at UCL.

Mohammed Aufogul, Head of Technical Design and Delivery, ISD:

• Who is Mohammed Aufogul? Three words to best describe you…

I am a 1^st generation UK born Mauritian Muslim, so I do say I am English as I was born in the UK, three words to best describe me, Happy, Optimistic & Pragmatic

• What life lesson have you learnt since the pandemic?

How important in-person, face to face interaction is and what a difference it makes. I had a personal experience with a close member of my family who was living alone, and I experienced 1^st hand what a negative effect not having real, in-person human interaction could have. I also feel coming into work is so much more productive for me due to those interactions I have that I don’t get when you work from home.

• How would you explain your work to a young person?

I always start by saying I work for UCL where I enable world leading research and teaching to happen, it’s how I truly feel, and I am so proud to be part of it. I sometimes give examples of some of the innovations & research UCL has been at the centre of.

• Tell us something about yourself that would surprise us?

I once owned a Pizza Delivery Franchise.

• What’s your faith background, if you have one? How did you grow up?

I am Muslim and I grew up in a Muslim household. When I was young my parents were not practising but I was sent to an Islamic Saturday school. It was more of a social for me TBH where I could hang out with other Muslim kids most of whom were from a Mauritian background which gave me a sense of belonging. When I was 18 and at college, I got more curious about religion and found it to be very comforting for me as a young Asian person growing up in the UK. It gave me a sense of identity.

• How do your values and/or faith impact your citizenship of UCL?

In a very positive way and natural way, both for me go hand in hand. I never have to make an apology for who I am, and I believe that tolerance and understanding are very important. I strongly believe that if I make an effort to understand and listen as well as educate myself it gives me a better understanding and therefore better relationships and interactions with others.

• What is your highest aspiration for interfaith cooperation at UCL?

I would like us to aim for open conversations and understanding from all parties, believing that questions will come from a place of sincere curiosity and if we have a genuine two-way conversation, it will give us better understanding and help us embrace our shared humanity.

• Tell us how being open to/open about faith and spirituality with your colleague/line manager has impacted your working relationship?

The journey I have been on with my line manager has been amazing for me, I feel like I can come to work as my authentic self, and I don’t have to leave any part of me at the office entrance. We have such deep, honest, and respectful conversations and a lot of the time I have to take time to reflect and increase my knowledge. It allows me to see things from another perspective and it is always done with respect and understanding. In essence it has made me a happier and more complete employee with a sense of understanding.

Disability Equity: Captions on Campaign

By b.isibor, on 1 December 2023

• Accessibility is fundamental in science communication and benefits everyone
• Captioning is a simple and effective way to make a difference
• Embrace captions to enhance your communication and reach a broader audience

The Faculty of Brain Sciences Disability Equity Committee and the Digital Accessibility Team are on a mission to foster a more inclusive and accessible environment for everyone. This includes people with a hearing impairment or are deaf. With approximately 12 million adults in the UK affected by some form of hearing loss, we believe it’s crucial to address this issue and enhance accessibility within our academic and professional community.

Make the change today!

We are asking everyone to switch on their captions when using digital platforms like MS Teams, Zoom and when creating PowerPoints to increase the accessibility of meetings, presentations, and lectures. Check out the Digital Accessibility Services website to find out just how easy it is to switch on caption in MS Teams, Zoom and PowerPoint. It takes seconds. Such a simple action will make such a big difference to everyone in our community.

Disability History Month: Spotlight on Long COVID

By b.isibor, on 1 December 2023

This blog is co-authored by Disability Equity Lead Dr Elise Crayton and Rikesh Rajani.

As part of Disability History Month this year, I thought it would be meaningful and interesting to shine a spotlight on a newer long-term condition: Long COVID. I am sure, given the media storm that has surround Covid-19 for the past few years we have all heard the term Long COVID but really do any of us know what Long COVID is and what Long COVID can look like and the challenges it presents for those living with it.

long Covid syndrome and coronavirus pandemic symptoms that persist as a burden concept or being tied trapped as a hauler of a virus infection with 3D illustration elements.

What is Long COVID?

Whilst most people who contract COVID-19 recovery fully within a few days or up to 12 weeks later, some do not with symptoms that linger and last much longer. For these individuals, we would consider them to have Long COVID, sometimes described as post COVID-19 syndrome. However, as this condition is new, we are still working to understand it and there are lots of different strands of reach taking place to do this.

If you are looking for more information, the best first resource to access will be the NHS website.

What impact does long COVID have on the UCL community?

There will be many students and staff across campus who are living with Long COVID, whether this is diagnosed or suspected. The symptom profiles from person to person also greatly vary. The most common symptoms include (according to the NHS):

• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Loss of smell
• Muscle aches

However, many people report experiencing other symptoms like: brain fog (issues with memory and concentration), pain or tightening in the chest, heart palpitations, dizziness, insomnia, depression, and anxiety among others. Many people also find that their symptoms get much worse following even small amounts of mental, physical or emotional activity (known as post exertional malaise/post exertional symptom exacerbation).

Therefore, those living with the condition may find usual daily activities on campus challenging such as walking across campus or concentrating in meetings or lectures. Some with Long COVID may also be more susceptible to infection, or feel less confident about mixing in large groups as we did before COVID-19 struck, making many of the vibrant and exciting activities that take place on campus and within academia difficult to engage with.

What can we be doing to support those living with this condition?

There are always positive and easily implementable things we can think of doing to support our colleagues and students with Long COVID. Often these types of changes will not only benefit those with Long COVID but many if not all of the community here at UCL.  I do think we need more data and evidence to more robustly understand the types of strategies or interventions we could recommend to help, but I do have a few suggestions that I will present below that I think could have small, but meaningful impact on those with this condition.

1. 1. Utilise the Reasonable Adjustments/Summary of Reasonable Adjustments (SoRA) schemes within UCL.

a) Line managers and supervisors or personal tutors can support their students and staff to identify some of the person centered approaches to supporting them to study and work successfully on campus via these schemes.

1. 1. Ask the question: Do all our meetings/social gatherings need to be in person?

a) There are of course many benefits to in person meetings and social gatherings. However, there may be some instances where meetings or social gatherings could take place in a hybrid format (to allow those who find accessing campus harder to stay at home) or even in a remote format, utilising MS Teams or Zoom.

b) To help people with Long COVID avoid reinfection, you could also consider holding social gatherings in a COVID safe manner, such as by having them outside or asking people to do a COVID test beforehand. This can also be helpful for other people living with conditions that increase their clinical vulnerability.

1. 1. Where appropriate, record meetings, lectures and other presentations or use live captioning

a) Whether a meeting is taking place in person or online, having a meeting recording, captioning or a transcript of a meeting could be vitally important for those who are struggling with concentration or having memory issues. This can also be useful for others though, perhaps those who experience hearing loss and deafness, those with neurodivergence or any one of us who is working in a busy and chaotic environment.

1. 1. Create and encourage a supportive environment within your team or course.

a) It sounds obvious, but if staff and students feel that they can easily approach others to ask for help if they are experiencing challenges from Long COVID, then it means they are more likely to get the help they need. We may also decrease the chances of students exiting their studies and staff leaving their roles.

b) You can take small, simple steps to do this like:

i) having fortnightly coffee mornings (remote or in person).

ii) having clear, structured processes describing who to contact if you need more support

iii) having clear, structured processes describing who to contact if you need more support

iv) editing your email signature to request that people let you know if they have any needs or adjustments (as it indicates you are open to having these discussions.

v) requesting informal feedback following meetings, lectures or other presentations to sense check whether the format is inclusive

Overall, there are lots of small, simple things we can be doing to ensure that UCL continues to grow and develop into an equitable and inclusive environment. This will have such an important, positive impact on those living with conditions like Long COVID, but in reality will greatly benefit all of us.