Head Up! aims to support any student that has experienced or has ill-health as a result from either or both physical or mental conditions. We also include any student that identifies as disabled or might be considered to have a disability as well as individuals with neurodivergence and specific learning difficulties.

The Equality Act 2010 states that any long-term impairment, mental or physical, which substantially affects your ability to carry out normal daily activities counts as a disability.

There is no such thing as being ‘registered disabled’ and we do not ask for proof of disability or diagnosis.

A ‘disability’ can be any long-term condition that affects your day-to-day life. It’s hard to speak inclusively with the medicalised language we’ve been given, but ‘condition’ is a broad term – it includes all health conditions including those relating to mental health, as well as things we might not consider ‘conditions’ ourselves – stuff like neurodivergence (autism and ADHD, for example) – but that medical frameworks and normative non-disabled society tend to consider in those terms.

Whether and in what ways you choose to identify with disability or being disabled is obviously totally up to you, but you’re welcome to be involved with Head Up! if you feel you have – or are questioning whether you might have – experience with any ‘condition’ that affects your day-to-day life. This might include, but is absolutely not limited to, stuff like: 

ADHD, autism, anxiety, bipolar disorder, bleeding disorders, celiac disease, CFS, Crohn’s, depression, diabetes, dyslexia, dyspraxia, epilepsy, eating disorders, endometriosis, fibromyalgia, FND, hearing impairments, HIV, heart conditions, IBS, IBD, kidney conditions, lupus, mental health issues, MS, narcolepsy, OCD, PCOS, PTSD, personality disorders, psychosis, rheumatoid arthritis, scoliosis, Tourette’s syndrome, thyroid disorders, visual impairments…