My Manifesto for making Fitzwilliam more inclusive

My name is Oliver Heritage, I am a first year here at Fitzwilliam and I am running for the Disabilities and Mental Illness Officer because I wish to make Fitzwilliam more accessible and inclusive to all.

A little bit about me:

I have grown up with a few different but intersectional disabilities including Arthritis. This has pushed me to consider how we can make the world more accessible, using my own experiences and views to do so.

For more than 3 years, I have consistently spent time volunteering and/or working for charities in my community – spending one year working in a residential care home, and the last two as a support worker with charities which provide services to adults and teens with mental and physical disabilities. My time with these charities has given me a lot of experience with tackling issues such as making events accessible to all. The most important insight my time with these charities has shown me that disabilities and mental illnesses are so individual, the umbrella term ‘disability’ does not give justice to how

even the same disability almost inevitably leads to different experiences from person to person.

How I propose to make Fitz more inclusive.

• I wish to liaise with disability and mental illness officers from other colleges, to help brainstorm ideas which can be implemented across multiple colleges, but also to discuss, effective ideas which could be beneficial for us at Fitzwilliam.
  • I would like to continue to work hand in hand with the ADRC in making Fitzwilliam as accessible as possible.
• I would like to hold workshops/talks within Fitzwilliam surrounding disabilities and mental illness.
  • These workshops will include, but not limited to:
    • Breaking down stereotypes around different disabilities.
    • Discussing how we can make our community more accessible to all.
• Hold and support any and all welfare events, welcome to everyone.
• Continue to support the great signposting around Fitzwilliam to support people find the relevant resources for their individual needs.
• I would like to make a way for people to anonymously report issues impacting accessibility to the ADRC.

Overall, over the next year, I would like to continue to help Fitzwilliam thrive as a college and as a home to all of us.