Ciara McCarthy is a Social and Public Policy student running for the SRC Disability Equality officer position. She plans on making accessibility the university’s responsibility, stating disabled students should not have to fight for basic access.
McCarthy has a history of campaigning for disabled students, as she was heavily involved in her college and campaigning for disability rights across Glasgow. McCarthy wants to show up for students and make sure disabled students are not an afterthought on the agenda, and she believes that students who have disabilities should be in the room when the decisions are being made. “I’m really passionate about advocating for students,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy, if elected, plans on working with the other student unions and societies across campus to expand opportunities further for students with disabilities. “I want to open up conversations with the university but also with disabled students” she stated. She wants to work with the sabbatical officers to have clearer and more frequent council meetings so that the needs of disabled students are met. Finally, her plan includes working with GUSA to include more disability friendly sports. She aims to open GUSA to be more inclusive to all who want to get involved in sports at university. “A lot of people don’t think that disabled people want to be active, but I love to be active,” McCarthy added.
McCarthy intends to implement a reporting system if she is elected, so that students with disabilities can easily alert the university when things are down or no longer working. She wants to make university clearer and more accessible for all students with disabilities.
Overall, McCarthy believes that disability should not be pushed aside, but embedded in campaigns, conversations, and change across the university.
You can read her manifesto here:
“I can’t stand but I’ll stand for you!
If I’m elected, here’s what I’ll focus on:
- Making accessibility the university’s responsibility not ours. Disabled students shouldn’t have to fight for basic access.
- Sorting out the reporting process. If something’s inaccessible, it shouldn’t take ten emails and three follow-ups to get a response. I want a clearer, more transparent system that actually works with a university that actually listens.
- Being in the rooms where decisions are made.
I’ll show up to meetings and make sure disabled students aren’t an afterthought on an agenda, we should be part of it from the start.
- Highlighting the reality of multiple and intersecting disabilities. Our experiences aren’t one-size-fits-all. I want to centre students who are Deaf, neurodivergent, chronically ill, multiply disabled and those who sit at the intersections of disability with race, gender, and sexuality. I want to centre students from a range of disabilities, and showcase the intersectionality that is also found between disability, race, gender, and sexuality.
Working closely with GUDSS and the SRC. Disability shouldn’t sit in a corner. It should be embedded in campaigns, conversations, and change across the university.
