Jane Dudley is an Assessment Centre Coordinator and Disabled Employees Network chair at Nottingham Trent University. Nottingham Trent University supported Jane at a difficult time. Now she’s working to provide that same level of care to the University's staff and students.

"You never get tired of making a difference in someone’s life. It’s a challenge, but it’s so rewarding," says Jane.

Working to support disabled students 

There’s many different parts to Jane's job at Nottingham Trent University. She runs a centre that gives assessments for disabled students to help them access government funding; she advises on technical and IT aspects of disabled students’ learning; and she works closely with the library to make sure that the University's resources are appropriately formatted and accessible. Jane is also chair of the Disabled Employees Network at Nottingham Trent University.

"I’m here to ensure that our disabled colleagues and students have got the support they deserve – and what’s great is that we’re consistently able to develop our services around what people tell us they need," explains Jane.

Creating an inclusive and understanding environment

Jane wants the University to be an inclusive and understanding environment. "I’m committed to providing the same standard of support that I received, towards the start of my own time at NTU: back then I developed an illness, and my attendance became quite irregular," says Jane. "What’s more, I felt like I was really struggling to do myself justice in the job. It was all very frustrating. But the University were fantastic, they genuinely understand that life is different for everyone here."

Nottingham Trent University allowed Jane to work shorter days and even work from home and this sort of proactive support and flexibility was really accommodating for Jane. "They genuinely understand that life is different for everyone here: if I hadn’t had that understanding and empathy, there’s a good chance I wouldn’t have made it at the University," adds Jane.

Collaborating across departments

As a member of the Disabled Employees Network (DEN), Jane is involved all sorts of initiatives and projects. More and more, that involves new builds across Nottingham Trent University campuses, as her and the University work with architects and the Estates team to create an accessible environment for everyone. Jane's group meets once every couple of months, and for her it's a good example of something that's happening more and more at Nottingham Trent University – effective collaboration across departments.

"Our buildings are beautiful, but that’s only half the story: more and more, we’re being integrated into decisions, policy-making and legislation," comments Jane. "I feel valued. You’re able to expand and develop yourself in different areas at NTU, and you’re recognised for those ambitions. You can always count on a great standard of encouragement and support."

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