Equality, diversity, and inclusion
We are wholeheartedly committed to championing equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) within our School. Our mission is to foster a spirit of inclusivity for our staff, students, and visitors and to create an environment where everyone feels welcome and valued.
To achieve this, we have put in place a strong and diverse membership that includes passionate EDI champions, covering various protected characteristics such as Disability and Neurodiversity, Religious life and Belief, LGBTQI+, Race Equality, and Gender. Through strategic initiatives, we strive to fulfil our responsibilities concerning EDI and uphold the principles of the Athena Swan Charter.
What we are doing
Disability and neurodiversity equality
In the School of Psychology, we respect and celebrate the diversity of our staff and students, including their different disabilities and neurodiversities. We are committed to creating an accepting and inclusive environment that promotes equitable opportunities and fosters a culture where differences are not just accepted but embraced. This commitment incorporates the richness of diverse experiences and perspectives, ensuring that every voice is heard and valued. We also aim to create a respectful learning environment where those with a range of conditions and disabilities are seen, actively respected, and valued.
The University is committed to ensuring that our institutional values focus on creating equitable opportunities and outcomes for all groups. Our Disability Action Plan aims to address accessibility, ease of access to support and creation of inclusive environments ensure equitable progress for all of our staff and students.
Surrey aims to cultivate an inclusive community which supports the needs of people with hidden disabilities and/or invisible illnesses and we are pleased to partner with Hidden Disabilties.
Wearing the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower discreetly indicates to people around the wearer (including staff, students and others) that they may need additional support, understanding or a little more time.
The Neurodiversity Network provide support and raise awareness for neurodivergent people at Surrey as well as offering a space to celebrate the strengths that a neurodiverse workforce and community can bring.
Visit our Neurodiversity at Surrey blog for more information.
The University of Surrey works with AccessAble, a nationally recognised organisation, to provide detailed Accessibility Guides to all buildings and key services on our campuses. Accessibility information for University of Surrey campus.
The work with AccessAble gives our staff, students and visitors the detailed information they need to know about the accessibility of a building or service.
Whether you're looking to check a fact or explore a route between campuses you can get the detail instantly, using AccessAble or the University’s own App available on Android and iOS by searching AccessAble – Uni of Surrey.
The Disability and Neurodiversity team in the Library provide support and advice to all students at the University with a disability and liaise with the Departmental Disability Coordinators within the School of Psychology to ensure that all reasonable adjustments are made to support students’ time with us.
Our School is also proud to be home to leading researchers in dyspraxia, dyscalculia, ADHD and ASC as well as a range of disabilities. Their work not only enriches our understanding but also contributes significantly to expanding the scientific knowledge in these fields. By integrating this research into our curriculum and public discussions, we ensure that our support is grounded in the latest scientific insights and that our students are at the forefront of contemporary scholarly discourse.
A wide range of activities include:
- The Surrey Clinical and Research NDD Network help to build collaborative links with local services
- Partnering with charitable organisations that support individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions and their families – online webinar events, conferences
- Development of impact resources designed to support the above communities.
The university celebrates #PurpleLightUp, a global movement that celebrates and draws attention to the economic contribution of disabled employees around the world is also celebrated on this day.
It includes lighting up our buildings and statues in purple, holding events, developing workplace policies for disabled employees and sparking conversations about disability inclusion worldwide.
In our School we hold several annual public events including raising awareness about Dyspraxia/DCD and how these may be best supported and celebrated (Sept 2023); Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder networking event (Jan 2023).
LGBTQIA+ equality
We respect and celebrate the diversity of our staff and students, including their different sexual orientations and gender identities. We are committed to creating an accepting and inclusive environment that promotes equitable opportunities and fosters a culture where differences are not just accepted but embraced. This commitment incorporates the richness of diverse experiences and perspectives, ensuring that every voice is heard and valued. We also aim to create a respectful learning environment where LGBTQIA+ identities are not only seen but actively respected and valued.
We incorporate discussions on LGBTQIA+ issues in select modules, emphasising their relevance for students in reflecting on both present and future societies. Our commitment extends to encouraging all staff to undergo LGBTQIA+ Awareness Training to better understand and address the unique challenges faced by the LGBTQIA+ community. We also collaborate with the Rainbow Network to act on LGBTQIA+ university-wide priorities, ensuring a united and impactful approach across the institution.
We are involved in a range of initiatives to support staff members and students who identify as LGBTQIA+. This includes providing a safe space for dialogue, offering targeted guidance, and fostering a vibrant research community. We also encourage staff members to support the LGBTQIA+ community by wearing rainbow lanyards and pronoun badges, which serve as symbols of our unwavering support and solidarity.
Our school is also proud to be home to leading researchers in LGBTQIA+ and gender studies. Their work not only enriches our understanding but also contributes significantly to expanding the scientific knowledge in these fields. By integrating this research into our curriculum and public discussions, we ensure that our support for the LGBTQIA+ community is grounded in the latest scientific insights and that our students are at the forefront of contemporary scholarly discourse.
We organise a series of events showcasing the LGBTQIA+ research we do and featuring insightful discussions with activists and experts around LGBTQIA+ issues. These events are designed not just to educate but also to inspire and empower our community. Follow our webpage and social media channels for more information.
Examples of recent events:
- Event organised for Pride Month (2023). Title “Moving towards queer futures: How can education be used to help LGBTQI+ youth?” A conversation with Cody Freeman, Founder and CEO of The Global Center.
- Event organised for Intersex Day of Remembrance (2023). Title: ‘Let's talk about intersex!’ A conversation with Dr Marta Prandelli.
Race equality
In the School of Psychology, we celebrate and recognise the racial and ethnic diversity within our community. Our goal is to promote equitable opportunities and outcomes for all our staff and students.
We are working to develop an inclusive culture that supports, empowers, and celebrates students and staff from all ethnic groups.
We incorporate discussions on race and ethnicity in select modules, emphasising their relevance for students in reflecting on both present and future societies.
Our commitment extends to seeking to embed race equality within our teaching and curriculum. The school is currently working on decolonising the curriculum aiming to improve teaching standards, and create programmes that are inclusive and representative of our students, staff, and the society we live in.
We are involved in a range of initiatives to support staff members and students from racialised groups. This includes providing a safe space for dialogue, offering targeted guidance, and seeking to foster a diverse research community.
We continue to support our staff and students with conducting important research with ethnic minority groups and in countries of the Global South. This work broadens our knowledge base including diverse cultural perspectives, enhancing generalisability and relevance of psychological theories and interventions.
We are incredibly honoured of the achievements of our staff, students, and alumni in promoting race equality and diversity. Find out how we celebrate them collectively and individually.
Gender equality
In the School of Psychology, we are committed to gender equality and ensuring we provide a positive and supportive culture in which our staff and student community feel empowered and respected. We are also committed to ensuring gender equality is embedded into our teaching and curriculum so that our students and trainee professionals are ready to enter the psychology and broader workforce as future leaders and citizens that will make the world a better place.
We are committed to ensuring that our institutional values are creating equitable opportunities and outcomes for all groups regardless of their gender identity. We have implemented an extensive action plan to address the gender pay gap and to ensure progression for all groups of staff according to merit.
Athena SWAN Charter and Action Plan
The Athena Swan Charter is a global initiative that aims to support and transform gender equality within higher education and research. Launched in 2005 to reduce barriers to women’s progression, it now addresses gender equality as a much broader issue.
We are proud to hold a Silver Athena SWAN award
The School of Psychology is committed to the Athena SWAN principles, recognising that academia will achieve maximum potential by embracing diversity and combating inequality.
We strive to create opportunities for our staff and students to have professional, academic and personal support. A wide range of options are in place including wellbeing events, staff and student development programmes, social activities throughout the academic year and much more.
We are launching a new mentoring programme.
We support gender equality through our research.
Find out more about how we support women at the University.
Our university community is made up of outstanding contributions and collaborations from staff, students and alumni who come from all walks of life. We value every individual at Surrey and their unique differences and needs. We want to work together to build an inclusive environment that reflects society. Find out how we celebrate gender equality.
International Women’s Day (IWD) is an opportunity to celebrate the successes and strides that women have achieved in the workplace whilst increasing visibility and calling out inequality. Within the School of Psychology, we hold events to celebrate IWD, and these form part of a celebration across the University.