Name: Kathryn Fisher and Despina Weber

Job title: Disability Coordinators

Department: Disability Services in Wellbeing Support Services (formerly Student Support)

Can you tell us a little bit about your role?

We support students with disabilities from a pre-arrival stage to the end of their course, giving
them advice and guidance on reasonable adjustments and putting in place any necessary
support arrangements. We also work closely with staff across the University raising awareness
of disability and inclusive practices.

And what’s your involvement at Arrivals Weekend?

We are on campus together with other colleagues from Wellbeing Support Services for general advice, answering any initial questions about the support services offered and generally welcoming students with disabilities at Warwick. We are also there to see through some of the arrangements and adaptations we have been working on for months for individual students to help them access the campus and settle in well.

What’s the best bit about being involved in the weekend?

A lot of hard work goes into preparing for the arrival of some of our students and it is really rewarding to see it all coming together during Arrivals Weekend, thanks to our colleagues from Warwick Accommodation, Estates and other teams across the University. It is great to see students with disabilities arriving and feeling excited to start their student experience at Warwick.

Are there any challenges?

Inevitably, there are constant challenges in an evolving campus and a growing community but because of some very close working relationships we have developed over the years with a broad range of staff across the institution, these challenges are usually addressed promptly and effectively. We are all working towards one aim really, which is to ensure students with disabilities can have the same positive experience as everyone else.

Not many people know this about Arrivals Weekend, but …

… Disability Services are on hand during Arrivals Weekend, but arrivals for some of our students start a couple of days earlier to support them in settling in and accessing some of the facilities before the campus gets very busy.