Last month the National Union of Students (NUS) held their annual National Conference in Liverpool where over one thousand young people represented their colleges and universities.
Derwen College was represented by three of our trainees who heard speeches and voted in elections and on motions at the event. Prior to the event Derwen College put forward their own motion to National Conference to request that NUS continue to develop the training programme and offer it to learners with additional needs across the country and also to explore how to make the organisation more accessible to people with learning difficulties and disabilities.
Derwen College are the first specialist providers to have put forward a motion to National Conference and the speech for the motion was given by Robin Ferguson, the first man with Down Syndrome ever to have made a speech at National Conference. Robin was allowed three minutes to make his speech rather than the ninety seconds usually allocated, he received a standing ovation for his speech and the motion was passed unanimously, this means that the motion has become policy for three years and Derwen College is at the forefront of driving forward positive change within the NUS for students with learning difficulties and disabilities.