Admissions Conference 2021

Melanie has worked in disability support in further and higher education since 1997. She has been leading the STAART (previously *AccessAbility Project) since 2007. STAART focuses on the wellbeing and social side of university life but works very closely with the disability and dyslexia team to ensure a holistic support network for their disabled students. STAART has been disseminated across the UK and Europe, and staff training in Trinidad and Cairo.

STAART adheres to the affirmation of disability which does not view disability as a tragedy or personal deficit. The model promotes positive social identities and believes strongly in the social model’s initial philosophy of ‘nothing about us without us’.