Diversity and Equality

Practical advice on Diversity and Equality

Good Campus Relations

Universities UK have published a guide on promoting good campus relations. This guide indentifies a range of strategies to ensure all staff and students understand their rights and responsibilities in contributing to a positive university environment. UUK Good Campus Relations Guide

Disabilities

  • Service for Students with Disabilities. DUSSD is the University service which can advise students with disabilities to organise special academic facilities in Durham or Stockton. The service also advises University staff on issues relating to students with disabilities. DUSSD have produced a Staff Information Handbook 'Teaching Students with Disabilities'. This Handbook was quoted as an example of good practice in the HE sector by HEFCE.
  • Occupational Health can provide support to staff with disabilities.  For more information please visit their website:
  • There is also a useful Disability Awareness booklet, produced by Lorna Hibbert for Library staff
  • Access-Ability: Making Technology More Useable - a booklet written by People with Disabilities.
  • More information about the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 - Part 4: Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 (known as SENDA) is available on-line.
  • The DEMOS project - an online learning package aimed specifically at academic staff which examines the issues faced by disabled students in higher education. An excellent source to improve understanding of disability.
  • The National Disability Team has produced a series of leaflets based on their Strand 2 project to Improve provision for disabled students. The leaflets provide summaries of case students on the following subjects:
  • The University's IT Service has provided on-line guidance on website accessibility. http://www.dur.ac.uk/its/services/web/accessibility/  
  • The ITS Learning Technologies team is involved in a HEFCE funded project for Improving the Provision for Disabled Students conducted by Durham University in conjunction with the National Disability Team (NDT). More: http://www.dur.ac.uk/alert/

Student Induction

During the Ramadan month, Departments may want to consider separating induction activities from social events where food and drinks will be served, as this may deter Muslim students from attending and be perceived as a lack of understanding of the importance of Ramadan for Muslim students. 

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan often falls during the beginning of the academic year.  Ramadan is the most important of the four months which are regarded as sacred in Islam.  The month of Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, prayer, doing good deeds and spending time with family and friends. During Ramadan Muslim students may be fasting (sawm) from sunrise to sunrise to sunset, taking part in longer prayers (taraweeh prayers) and attending the University Prayer Room or regional Mosques for reflection and prayer. 

The start and end time of Ramadan changes annually as it is based upon the Muslim calendar which is lunar.  The BBC Religion and Ethics web pages notes Ramadan begins on Thursday 13 September in 2007 and Thursday 2 September in 2008. Ramadan lasts for a month.

Further information about Ramadan and other religious events throughout the year visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/tools/calendar/