This week, we get to know Alana Penney the Students’ Union Disabled Students Community Officer.
1) Please tell us a bit about yourself and your role
I am Alana, a second-year Social Science BSc student and the SU’s Student Community Officer for Disability. This role entails the running of a campaign, the development of your community and helping students to navigate services and support. My campaign is orientated around advocating for the rights and voice of disabled student on campus. I have been involved in youth activism since I was 15, running campaigns on hidden disability visibility, neurodivergence, and disability rights, each prompted by my own experience of Autism and ADHD.
2) What does Disability History Month mean to you?
Disability history Month, to me, represents strength and perseverance. It is a time to remember all those in the past that have carved out our place in the world and given us the rights we have today, but it is also a time to celebrate our smaller, individual successes. As disabled people, we are all aware of the fatigue that comes with difference, having to constantly advocate for our needs in a society that is not designed for us. Yet, despite all the burnout and frustration, this community remains a welcoming and inspiring space for everyone.
This month’s theme of disability and youth also resonates with me as, as a child, I entirely rejected the label of disabled. Today, I take pride in my diagnoses and as a result, I have been able to form the beginnings of a career out of celebrating disability and challenging the systems we exist within.
3) Do you have any recommendations for ways people can get involved or resources to learn more about how we can all help make our community more inclusive and exciting?
My best advice for anyone wishing to get involved in this community is to begin by advocating for yourself or ask someone in the community to speak on your behalf. If you notice an area that does not accommodate for your needs, start there, and do not stop talking about it until you can do something to fix it. Not only will these conversations help your needs feel valid, but they will also bring amazing people into your life that have had similar experiences.
For support, I have complied a list of all the services and resources available to disabled RHUL students, both on campus and nationally, that is accessible via a sharable QR code. This document includes information from two of my favourite resources for educational and rights information: Disabled Students UK and Disability Rights UK. These disability-led organisations work nationally to fight for an inclusive and equal society, by lobbying government, universities and organisations and coordinating surveys.
4) What or who inspires you?
I am inspired by other Autistic and ADHD people who I see making brilliant careers from their disabilities. When I was younger, I has not yet realised the strength and power that comes from owning your disability, so when I see people making a career out of their adversity and differences, it gives me hope that I can achieve that too. It is really important to me to think back to my younger self and live today as the role model I wish that I had then.
5) What is your favourite thing about being part of the Royal Holloway community?
My favourite thing about the Royal Holloway community is the friends that I have made through my course, societies, and community officer role. The community has been very welcoming to me since being elected and I continue to enjoy being part of disability led events.