Reasonable adjustments: how can Student Services take the lead?

Harriet Cannon

Disability Advisory Team Manager, University of Leeds

Harriet has been working with disabled students in higher education for 25 years. She has worked in Disability Services at the University of Leeds since 2007, first as a Disability Coordinator, and now as the Disability Team Manager, having previously led on disability support for the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education. Harriet is a Director of the National Association of Disability Practitioners, as well as a Senior Accredited Member. She sits on the Office of the Independent Adjudicator’s Disability Experts Panel, the Advance HE Disabled Student Commitment Partnership Group, the Department for Education’s Higher Education Autism Advisory Group, and she founded the Association of Autism Practitioners in Higher Education. Harriet has a particular interest in inclusive pedagogies, inclusive assessment, and competence standards.

: https://students.leeds.ac.uk/disabledstudents
: harrietcannon
: @HarrietCannon

Mr Jason Hadley-Luxemburg

Disability and Inclusion Advisor, The University of Law

Jason Hadley-Luxemburg is a Disability and Inclusion Advisor at the University of Law and is based at the Manchester campus. He has worked as a disability advisor specialist in higher education for over six years, with particular focus on supporting postgraduate law school students and working within the regulatory environments that govern postgraduate law courses. Jason currently chairs the University of Law Disabled Staff Network and is a former Chair of AccessHE’s Disability Forum.

Jason has particular interest in developing practice to support autistic people, whether students or staff. Alongside, he has worked closely in developing practice to remove the barriers that disabled students can face when accessing reasonable adjustment in education and employment, with a focus on reducing the need for diagnostic evidence, medical or otherwise, and with emphasis on student needs, not specific medical diagnoses.

Prior to his specialist work in higher education, Jason qualified as a teacher and taught History in secondary schools in the UK. Following his time in secondary education, Jason moved into teaching disabled young adults in further education.

: https://www.law.ac.uk/students/support/disability-and-inclusion/
: jason-h-0648bbb3

Mr Keith Houghton

Head of Student Support and Wellbeing, The University of Law

Keith is an AMOSSHE Executive Member and Head of Student Support and Wellbeing at The University of Law. 

: https://www.amosshe.org.uk/about/our-team.html

Caroline Huntley

Head of Disability Service, University of the Arts London (UAL)

Caroline Huntley has worked in the disability sector in the fields of education and employment for almost 40 years. Prior to her work in higher education, she worked with assistive technology, employment advice and training and was a qualified speech and language therapist, working for 10 years in a specialist primary school with children described as having complex needs.

Since 2012, Caroline has worked in the Disability Service at University of the Arts London and has been Head of Service for three years. She also served on the board of NADP (National Association of Disability Practitioners) for five years, the latter three as Chair. Away from work, Caroline is a current trustee of The Seeing Dogs Alliance and Chair of her local community radio station, Derby Sound, as well as being a qualified mediator and coach (not sport!) both of which are practiced voluntarily.

: https://www.arts.ac.uk/students/student-services/disability-and-dyslexia

Dr Sammy Li

Assistant Director of Student Affairs (Postgraduate and Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion), University of Birmingham

Sammy is an AMOSSHE Executive Member and Assistant Director of Student Affairs (Postgraduate and Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion) at the University of Birmingham.

: https://www.amosshe.org.uk/about/our-team.html

Mr Brian Lutchmiah

Disability and Inclusion Service Manager, The University of Law

Brian has 20 years’ experience working across statutory, further and higher education. His extensive experience has ranged from teaching and co-ordination to operational and strategic management of direct services to students, and as a senior leader in UK and European organisations. He also has direct lived experience of disability throughout his education and career and has been an active advocate for disabled people across the education sector, hosting and speaking at national and international conferences, and formally representing the UK with European partners on UDL (Universal Design for Learning) principles and development.

Brian is an award-winning former Chair of the National Association of Disability Practitioners (NADP, UK) from 2018 to 2021, and is also a former Chair of the Learning Inclusively Network (LINK, Europe), serving as national and European leaders of research and practice on disability, inclusion and equality. He has most recently completed a two-year tenure as Chair of the English Policy Group for UCAS, as part of the UCAS Council, and is the Disability and Inclusion Service Manager at the University of Law.

With a core passion in inclusion and widening participation, Brian has maintained a determination in ensuring that all have the opportunity to aspire in realising their potential, and has represented the education sector in directly influencing national policy decision-making at UK government level.

With his in-depth knowledge of inclusion and related service aspects, including safeguarding and UDL, he continues to strive toward ensuring opportunities to achieve are equitably maintained for all, and fervently believes that equality is a right for all in education, employment and societally.

: https://www.law.ac.uk/students/support/disability-and-inclusion/
: brian-lutchmiah-51853020

Emily Marston

Ambassador Coordinator, Assistance Dogs UK

Emily oversees and supports all of Assistance Dogs UK (ADUK)'s volunteer ambassadors. Emily has worked within the charity and education sectors and is passionate about raising awareness of assistance dogs and representing the people who rely on them. She is an assistance dog user herself and can often be seen accompanied by her black Labrador named Nieve, who was trained by ADUK member, Medical Detection Dogs.

: https://www.assistancedogs.org.uk

Sandev Panaser

Peer Support and University Mental Health Lead, Forward Thinking Birmingham NHS

Sandev Panaser is a dedicated mental health professional with a strong background in psychology and over a decade of experience working across universities in the Midlands. His work has focused on promoting mental health and wellbeing within higher education. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Sandev worked on the creation of "Pause@Uni," an early intervention mental health drop-in service at the University of Birmingham. More recently, Sandev has taken on the role of Peer Support and University Mental Health Lead at Forward Thinking Birmingham NHS, where he is responsible for establishing a Peer Support Service for universities in Birmingham. His innovative approach to embedding lived experience into mental health services has been pivotal in fostering student resilience and wellbeing. Beyond his work in mental health he runs a business specialising in digital accessibility solutions for higher education, helping institutions create more inclusive learning environments through accurate lecture transcription.

: sandev-panaser-7b8bb490

Iveta Pudilova

CEO, Happy Autistic Lady

Iveta is a proud neurodivergent CEO and co-founder of Happy Autistic Lady Ltd and National Neurodiversity Training, a family-owned business inspired by her sister Vera’s autism diagnosis.

Known for their award-winning neurodiversity training and awareness campaigns, they enable universities and companies to boost retention, reputation and satisfaction. Expanding their reach internationally, they partner with prestigious organisations like the EU Commission and several Russell Group universities.

Iveta is also a speaker on neurodiversity and disability and a mentor for young aspiring female and neurodivergent entrepreneurs, actively raising awareness and inspiring future generations by sharing her lived experiences and expertise.

: https://www.happyautisticlady.com/
: iveta-pudilova

Ash Robertson

Learning & Education Manager, Assistance Dogs UK

Ash oversees internal learning and development and external education at Assistance Dogs UK (ADUK). She provides support to members through the ADUK learning platform and increases awareness by collaborating with a range of service providers. Ash has extensive experience in various voluntary sector organisations, particularly within animal welfare and education.

: https://www.assistancedogs.org.uk

Jane Thakoordin

Service Manager, The Children’s Society

Jane Thakoordin is a multifaceted artist, mental health advocate, and social work lecturer. As the manager of a university-based mental health service, she plays a key role in supporting students through early intervention. Jane works with The Children’s Society, where she leads a successful drop-in mental health service, which was created using funding from the Office for Students. Beyond her managerial roles, Jane founded Birmingham Artivistas, a collective dedicated to blending creativity with political activism, two passions that drive her work. In 2016, she also established The Black and Blue Collective, a live arts organisation that collaborates with artists and individuals with lived experience of mental health challenges. Her work continually reflects her commitment to using art for social change and empowerment.

: jane-thakoordin-511466227