October Spark! Newsletter
Hello all and hope you are all settling into the new academic year. It’s very rainy at the moment; I’ve had to dig out my big winter coat and wellies! What makes the change in weather bearable for me is the arrival of pumpkin spice lattes! Have you got your Halloween costume ready yet? Like every year, I’m going to be a witch.
We hope you enjoy this newsletter, and if you have something you want to share next month please email ruth.durkin@shu.ac.uk before the 31st of October.
Spark! Updates
Spark! Staff Social was a success!
On 13th September we held our first informal event back on campus since the pandemic. Turnout was modest but it was lovely to have the opportunity to meet new staff and for committee members to physically, many having only ever met online! Conversations varied from Disability History Month to people’s lived experiences, what they want from the network and people’s experiences of working at Hallam. And if that wasn’t already a success, we also had an excellent selection of biscuits! If you have any ideas for online or in-person socials, please email us as we are keen to increase the sense of community and connection disabled staff feel at Hallam: Sparksdn@shu.ac.uk
Theatre review from SPARK! Co-Chair, Nick Russell
A short review of Much Ado About Nothing, performed by Ramps on the Moon.
Ramps on the Moon is a collaborative partnership that aims to “enrich storytelling by normalising the presence of deaf and disabled people both on and off stage”. Their most recent show, Much Ado About Nothing, has recently finished its run at the Crucible in Sheffield and I was lucky enough to attend one of the performances.
It was truly joyous to see a show where deaf actors, blind actors, actors with prosthetics, actors who use wheelchairs and those with non-visible disabilities all came together to deliver a critically excellent show with enormous heart. Captions were provided using discrete screens around the stage, the whole performance was delivered in English and British Sign Language with some actors speaking or signing for other actors and other visual and audio cues were used to maximise accessibility for the audience and the actors. For me, the captions were really helpful as I process information better if I can both hear it and read it which is why I often watch tv and films with the subtitles on.
This is the first time I have ever seen a performance like this, and it proved to me that almost anything can be made accessible if there is a desire to do so. I will certainly be keeping my eye out for future Ramps on the Moon productions!
University Wide Updates
ADHD Coffee Social
Claire Walsh will be holding an ADHD Coffee Social on the 18th of October from 14:00 – 15:30 at City Chef Central. All our welcome despite your diagnosis status to share tips and support each other. If you have any questions, please contact Claire at hwbcw@exchange.shu.ac.uk
Call for Disabled Academics to speak at a Disabled Academics Panel
As part of Sheffield Hallam Students’ Union’s activity for Disability History Month we are looking for some disabled academics to speak at our Disabled Academics panel. Our disabled students have fed back to us that they feel like they are not represented in the staff and that they would like to know more about navigating academia as a disabled person. If you are interested in speaking about your experiences on the panel then please get in touch, it is important for your voices & experiences to be heard! Dates & times will be based on when is best for the panelists but will take place on a Thursday during Disability History Month (18th November – 18th December). If you would like to find out more about what the SU is planning this Disability History Month, contact Maddie at mb7793@exchange.shu.ac.uk
The Long-Term Conditions Group
Staff from the Student Wellbeing Team will be running a group for students with long-term conditions. The staff facilitators all have long term conditions themselves. The meetings are short, in the middle of the day and online and cover psychological impact, practical help available and inspiration / ideas about management, pacing, boundaries and self-care. There will be input from the disabilities team.
Long Term Conditions: Living Well with What Is – monthly on Mondays 1pm – 1.45 pm and sessions are remote. For more information contact Miriam Grace at mg9823@hallam.shu.ac.uk
International Stammering Awareness Day
If you a friend, or a family member has a stammer, visit the stand in the Owen Building Main Entrance on the 19th of October from 10am to 2pm to find out what support can be accessed in the University, the NHS and Sheffield’s wider community.
Neal Marsh, SHU Staff Member, is organising the stall and his story is available on the Spark! Blog here: https://blogs.shu.ac.uk/sdn/2022/10/14/i-had-been-blissfully-unaware-that-my-difference-was-even-apparent-to-others-neil-marsh-discusses-growing-up-with-a-stammer-to-spread-awareness-for-isad/
Black History Month – October 2022
Sheffield Hallam University’s Student Union are organising events to celebrate different cultures and campaigns, and to improve current issues that disproportionately impact Black students – such as a Cultural Activity Night on 21st October, 5pm – 9pm at The HUBS.
For more information go to Black History Month (hallamstudentsunion.com)
News
Strictly Come Dancing – Ellie Simmonds
Ellie Simmonds, OBE, has won 5 gold medals for Great Britain. She is moving from the pool to the dance floor and taking part in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing series.
Ellie is a patron of the Dwarf Sports Association UK; a charity that supports people of short stature and helps them get into sport.
Now she has her primetime BBC1 platform, Ellie is raising awareness about dwarfism and showing the world that she can try her hand at anything.
You can catch Ellie on Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday and Sunday nights on BBC1.
Reading + Media List – Call for submissions
In case you were not aware, there is a reading list curated by the library which can be found at this link https://rl.talis.com/3/shu/lists/243A32D5-DC10-81BA-70A2-AC9DB3B4A1E4.html
The Networks communications team would love to hear from you about recommendations for books, films, tv shows, podcasts etc. It can be difficult giving an opinion on something that does not represent your lived experience, but we understand any opinion is personal and not a blanket endorsement.
Call for new committee members
The network needs more committee members to help sustain and continue to grow the work we can do. Please email Spark at Sparksdn@shu.ac.uk if you might be interested in joining the committee. We will invite you to the next committee meeting so you can get a feel for what is involved and there is absolutely no pressure if you decide it is not right for you.
Best wishes,
Ruth and the Spark! Committee
Keep up to date with Spark! By following us @HallamSpark