HE Enabled: The Disability at Uni* Podcast

HE Enabled

*The Disability, Neurodivergence, and Long-Term Health Conditions in UK Higher Education Podcast. Episodes every Sunday! Want to be a guest on the show, support HE Enabled financially, volunteer your time, or hire Cath for freelance work? Get in touch via the website at https://www.heenabled.com.

  1. 5 days ago

    52. Accessible Biomed Labs, DSA Software Wins, and Vlogging to Change Healthcare: Heather’s Story

    About the episode: Heather is on HE Enabled! They are about to start their third year studying biomedical science at a university in the West Midlands. Heather documents their experience as a disabled student via social media, especially on Instagram/TikTok. They’re also heavily involved in student life, volunteering with St. John's Ambulance and their university's theatre society! Join Cath and Heather as they discuss the benefits of DSA software in biomed, Heather's advocacy for wheelchair-friendly lab space, and how Heather plans to document their journey to becoming a wheelchair-using doctor in graduate entry medicine. Thanks so much for listening to HE Enabled. We hope that you enjoy this week’s episode! Follow Heather on Instagram Want to be a guest on the show, support HE Enabled financially, volunteer your time, or hire Cath for freelance work? ⁠⁠⁠Check out the HE Enabled website!

  2. 16 Aug

    Is there more to learning at uni than reading? The Teach Beyond Text study says yes. (Bonus Episode)

    Are you a student who is curious about different ways of learning, a module convenor who wants to diversify their students’ learning, or someone who wants to learn about some cool research? Join Cath and Kerry-Jane Packman (CEO, Learning on Screen) as they discuss the results of the Teach Beyond Text study.  Teach Beyond Text aimed to investigate how students experience teaching that takes a multimedia approach beyond text-based learning. Over 1,000 students in UK further and higher education had their say—the results are genuinely as comprehensive as they are insightful. Thanks for listening. We hope that you enjoy this special episode of the show! Read the Teach Beyond Text Executive Summary Download the full Text Beyond Text report  See part of the Tiktok ads discussed in this episode (Instagram link) Want to be a guest on the show, support HE Enabled financially, volunteer your time, or hire Cath for freelance work? ⁠⁠⁠Check out the HE Enabled website!

  3. 9 Aug

    51. Fashion Design as a Wheelchair User, Finding True Inclusion, and DIY Activism: Cass’ Story

    Cass is a fashion design student at Nottingham Trent University, specialising in adaptive fashion. They founded the Small Disabled Government to fight for accessibility at NTU, while also sharing their experience of being a wheelchair user at university on their Instagram (link below). In this episode, Cass recounts their time at uni so far, telling us how they have found community, advocated for others, and gone hunting for accessible entrances. There are also plenty of instances of true inclusion: personal tutors who actively listen, pattern tables being adapted for wheelchair users, and the entire CAD lab being moved to an accessible space! Thanks for listening to this episode. We hope that you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed recording it! Follow Cass on Instagram ⁠Complete the 2026 Annual Disabled Student Survey⁠ (run by Disabled Students UK) Want to be a guest on the show, support HE Enabled financially, volunteer your time, or hire Cath for freelance work? ⁠⁠Check out the HE Enabled website!

  4. 3 Aug

    50. Disability Services to Senior Lecturer, Inclusive Teaching, and Social Justice: Carys’ Story

    Happy 50th episode everyone. Thanks so much for listening; here's to many more! About the episode: Carys is a senior lecturer in Creative Education at the University of the Arts London, after working in UAL's disability services department for 13 years. They have recently started a PhD at UCL, specialising in the intersections of art, design, and disability studies in higher education. In this episode, we discuss Carys' non-linear career, including their transition from working in disability services to becoming a senior lecturer (while being a PhD student at the same time)! There's also plenty of chat around how Carys develops inclusive practices for their students, and see a special feature from their cat. Thanks so much for tuning in, we hope that you enjoyed! Complete the 2026 Annual Disabled Student Survey (run by Disabled Students UK) Want to be a guest on the show, support HE Enabled financially, volunteer your time, or hire Cath for freelance work? ⁠Check out the HE Enabled website!

  5. 26 Jul

    49. Fighting Internal Ableism, Learning Cerebral Palsy, and Hands Off Our Handles: Melissa’s Story

    CW: Mentions of alcohol use and nights out (especially around40:56-42:04), passing references to the COVID-19 pandemic throughout. About the episode: Melissa is an award-winning freelance journalist who focuses on disability rights and has published with Cosmopolitan UK, the Radio Times, Digital Spy, and Metro (among others). She is also the founder of the 'Hands Off Our Handles' campaign, ‘an initiative focused on stopping people from grabbing wheelchair users without consent’. She’s a law graduate and has previously been an associate lecturer. In this episode, Cath and Melissa discuss how Melissa’s career trajectory transformed from being an aspirational career academic to a freelance journalist. We also learn of Melissa’s internalised ableism, get-on-with-it attitude, and how her early life has impacted her health today. There is also plenty of insight about how ‘Hands Off Our Handles’ started!   Bonus tangents include brief conversations around media fandoms, and the perks of having a wheelchair on a night out. We hope that you enjoy! Melissa’s Article: Don’t call me ‘wheelchair bound’ – it’s disrespectful (universitygraduation article) Follow the Hands Off Our Handles Instagram   Want to be a guest on the show, support HE Enabledfinancially, or hire Cath for freelance work? Check out the HE Enabled website!

  6. 20 Jul

    48. Long COVID, Finding a New Why after Losing Sport, and Changing to Online Study: Eden’s Story

    CW: Mentions of the UK heatwaves and the COVID pandemic. About the episode: Eden is a Belfast-based student at the Open University studying for a degree in Childhood and Youth Studies. She moved to online study following a long-COVID diagnosis and a negative experience with in-person university. Eden volunteers at multiple charities and organisations alongside her degree, and runs the Sports For All podcast after her health severely impacted her athletic ability. The UK heatwave, big Tesco, and finding a new path are also fantastic topics on this week's HE Enabled! It was a pleasure to have Eden on the show, we hope that you enjoy the episode. Listen to the Sports for All Podcast HE Enabled links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the HE Enabled Patreon for £1 a month!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy me a coffee and help to keep HE Enabled Running :)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow HE Enabled on social media, listen on other platforms, and learn more about the show on the HE Enabled website (Linktree replacement)!

  7. 12 Jul

    47. Aligning Neurodivergence and Biculturalism, the Inner Coach, and the Neurodivergent Linguist: Hiba’s Story

    Hiba is a student at King’s College London, where she is reading part-time for an MSc in Applied Neuroscience. Hiba is also a chartered linguist, qualified English/Arabic translator, AuDHD coach, and holds an MA in Translation from the Open University. However, I know Hiba from her work as a podcaster on The Neurodivergent Linguist, a short-form podcast where language, neurodivergence, and everyday life intersect. In this episode, we discuss Hiba's bicultural identity and how this changes how she communicates in her personal and professional life. She shares her story as a late-diagnosed AuDHDer, linguist, and neuroscience student who now embraces the support which she needs to complete her studies. We also have a chat about her podcast and how it has shaped her current work! Listen to the Neurodivergent Linguist (Hiba's Podcast: Linktree Link) HE Enabled links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the HE Enabled Patreon for £1 a month!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy me a coffee and help to keep HE Enabled Running :)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow HE Enabled on social media and listen on other platforms via the Linktree.

  8. 24 May

    46. An Academic Triple Life, Freedom in Professional Communities, and Ticking off the Manchester Unis: Sarah H’s Story

    CW: This episode contains references to the COVID pandemic, plus mentions of prescription drug use, sex, and alcohol consumption (in particular at timestamps 11:47-11:51 and 18:25-18:36) About the episode: Sarah is an award-winning Learning Developer at the University of Manchester library, and a member of the UK Neurodivergent Library and Information Staff Network (NLISN). She’s also part of a growing pool of University of Manchester staff and students who have come on the show! In this episode, Sarah shares her story through multiple Manchester HEIs, including the University of Salford, University Campus Oldham, and the University of Manchester. We discuss the vices and maladaptive coping mechanisms that Sarah (like other undiagnosed neurodivergent students) turned to in order to self-medicate; Sarah's triple life as a librarian, teacher, and student; and how late neurodivergent diagnoses have shaped her professional networks and practices nowadays. Thank you so much for tuning in. We hope that you enjoy this episode! Previous episodes with guests from the University of Manchester (Spotify links): ⁠38. Lecturing Through Burnout, Staff Advocacy, and Thriving in the Right Environment: Katie's Story⁠ ⁠34. Using Power for Positive Change, Taking the Unconventional Path, and Talking Disability at Manchester: Prof. Jackie Carter’s Story 43. Diagnosed by TikTok, Rebuilding Self-Trust, and Bouncing Back from Systematic Failures: Kai’s Story HE Enabled links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the HE Enabled Patreon for £1 a month!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy me a coffee and help to keep HE Enabled Running :)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow HE Enabled on social media and listen on other platforms via the Linktree.

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*The Disability, Neurodivergence, and Long-Term Health Conditions in UK Higher Education Podcast. Episodes every Sunday! Want to be a guest on the show, support HE Enabled financially, volunteer your time, or hire Cath for freelance work? Get in touch via the website at https://www.heenabled.com.

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