Alumni UK Disability Inclusion Community of Practice (DI CoP) brings together UK Alumni to share experiences, learn from one another, and build meaningful connections. Through collaboration, advocacy, and professional development, the DI CoP empowers persons with disabilities to lead positive change, strengthen accessibility, and advance equality, diversity, and inclusion across higher education institutions and communities globally.
Disability Inclusion Community of Practice is a global, action-focussed and member-led network which provides a platform for UK Alumni with lived experiences of disability or an interest in disability inclusion. It is guided by a global steering group of 12 members from within the Alumni UK network.
This community is part of a powerful global movement built on collaboration, inclusion, and lived experience. Persons with disabilities are not just participants. They are leaders, innovators, and changemakers driving solutions within their communities and beyond. By joining, you become part of a collective effort to create more equitable, accessible, and inclusive educational institutions, workplaces, and communities around the world. Your voice, perspective, and contributions are essential to shaping this movement and advancing meaningful change.
Objectives
Enhance awareness of Disability Inclusion: The CoP will work to foster a deeper awareness of the importance of Disability Inclusion amongst the Alumni UK network, within the UK higher education sector and in the alumni’s local communities.
Support professional development and networking opportunities: The CoP will enable its members to connect, share experiences and embark on collaborative projects that enhance their capacity to drive change.
Our Approach to Change
When you join the community, you become part of an active, diverse, and global network with real opportunities for collective action. Members of the DI CoP are supported to take part in:
- Advocacy and influence: opportunities to advocate for and contribute to more inclusive environments.
- Networking and community building: opportunities to engage with fellow alumni who share similar experiences and interests.
- Professional development: opportunities for knowledge exchange and to lead on or participate in events and initiatives.
Principles
- Member-led. A Steering Group from within the Community of Practice leads the development and delivery of the network
- Open to all. All members of the Alumni UK network with lived experiences of disability or an interest in disability inclusion are welcome to join.
- Representative. Seeking diversity among the community and prioritising leadership, voice, and decision-making by persons with disabilities.
- Collaborative. Working together across countries, sectors, and communities towards our common goals.
Our Inclusive Practice
We are guided by our principles and aim to practise what we promote. Steering group meetings accommodate asynchronous participation, plain-language summaries and flexible contribution formats. We are committed to learning about good practice in inclusion and accessibility and by hosting the DI CoP we are learning about what it takes to support an inclusive and diverse global network. We will be sharing our practice and learning as we go.
Disability Inclusion Community of Practice Activity
- The CoP meets online every two months, hosted by members of the Steering Group.
- Ongoing communication is facilitated by a Whatsapp group, with multiple channels to support different action teams.
- The CoP has an online ‘home base’ - a platform for resources, conversations, member information and opportunities.
- Every year, the CoP supports a small number of member-led projects that advance the network’s aims. These are managed by Steering Group members, and all CoP members can get involved.
Projects 2026 – 2027
There are two projects currently in development that support our goals and that CoP members can take action on.
- HEI accessibility snapshots: Addressing the limited, inconsistent data on accessibility in higher education by providing well-evidenced, simple, rapid overviews of accessibility conditions and recommendations for action.
- Connected for Inclusion: Creating a wider network of professionals that understand how they can help disability inclusion and are motivated to act.
