The One in Five Podcast

By Disabled Students, For Disabled Students.

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The One in Five is a university support podcast created by disabled students, for disabled students who are considering university.

In addition to supporting disabled students making their university decisions, the podcast will also support disabled students currently at university, school and college colleagues, parents, and carers too!

It is called the One in Five to represent that one in five people in the UK have a disability, and tens of thousands of students with a disability attend university each year.

All the content you will hear on the podcast is based on the lived experiences of the incredible One in Five student panel – Alice, Dominique, Jessica, Kyle, and Matthew, each with their own story to share. You can read their profiles below.

During the series of six episodes, we discuss topics including:

  • How the students identify with their disabilities
  • Their journey having been diagnosed with a disability
  • The support available at university for students with a disability
  • A guide to university events and how the students made their university decisions
  • How disabled students can ensure they get the university experience they deserve
  • What the future holds for disabled students accessing university - including a guest appearance from UCAS.

Presenters

Alice Lundy

Alice has just finished her degree in Sociology at Canterbury Christ Church University. Within this course she gained a deeper understanding of the social world. Her dissertation focused on disabled students and policy.

After graduating, Alice worked as President of Christ Church Students’ Union. Within this role, she was able to work with students to share future opportunities. She now works at an organisation supporting graduates into brilliant employment opportunities.

The disabled student experience is something Alice has a personal passion for. She has a mobility condition, which can cause fatigue. She wishes to use her personal experience to support students with similar disabilities - and to share what is possible.

Dominique Hegarty

Dominique is a recent graduate from The University of Kent, where she studied English and American Literature and French. She has Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), for which she received a lot of support through university.

Dominique has always had a strong interest and passion for social justice and is now starting her career in the non-profit sector.

Dominique is on the 2023/24 Charityworks Graduate scheme and working as a Project Coordinator for The Switch; an educational non-profit organisation providing work experience placements and employability education for children and young people in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Jessica Tuominen

Jessica is a third-year BA Sociology student and a STAART Ambassador (Support Through *AccessAbility Retention and Transition) at the University of Greenwich. She is also the Special Educational Needs and Disability Progression Partnership (SEND PP) Liaison Ambassador at the University. Her work focuses on supporting disabled students in higher education and schools by sharing her lived experience and developing resources for students, parents and carers, and professionals.

Through her Sociology degree, work experience and her lived experience navigating life with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), Jessica has found her passion for disability advocacy. She wishes to continue building a career in this field and removing barriers for disabled people.

Kyle Mather

Kyle is an Illustration and Animation graduate, having completed his studies at the University for the Creative Arts in 2023. He currently works as a Freelance Artist and has recently embarked on a new role, as a Digital Enabler, working towards giving people access to creative technologies who wouldn’t necessarily have access to them.

Kyle was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia when he first attended university in 2018, when he was studying in Brighton, as well as Dyslexia, and ADHD during his time at UCA Canterbury.

During the podcast series, Kyle discusses the process of diagnosis, support at university and how he overcame the challenges as a result of his disabilities, before successfully graduating from his course.

Matthew Whiteman

Matthew is a final year BA (Hons) Filmmaking student at Leeds Beckett University, The Northern Film School, where he has found his passion for Cinematography.

Matthew has Dyslexia. Leeds Beckett University helped him obtain an official diagnosis and has provided excellent support throughout his degree.

Matthew works for the university as a Student Ambassador and he is working towards being a Camera Trainee on film sets after he graduates, with the goal of one day becoming a Director of Photography.

Host and Producers

Tim Roe, Producer

Connect with Tim on Linkedin

Tim is an experienced podcast producer and editor, with a proven track record for delivering impactful change to increase access and opportunity to those from underrepresented backgrounds.

As well as having a wealth of experience in the widening participation and higher education sector, Tim is the UniTasterDays Uni Guide Podcast Producer.

Jon Cheek, Host

Connect with Jon on Linkedin

Jon is the Founder and Director of UniTasterDays Ltd. He has spent a career working in higher education, working for over ten years with three universities, followed by schools throughout the UK with UniTasterDays, which Jon established in 2012 to support effective school and college university engagement.

Jon has sat as an Executive Director of the Higher Education External Relations Association and is the editor of the annual Students’ Guide to University, Parents’ Guide to University and Teachers’ Guide to University brochures.

Jon is a huge advocate of university guidance and has been published by organisations including Which University, The CDI and National Careers Week.

Jon is the host of the UniTasterDays Uni Guide Podcast.