About Us
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The National Disabled Students’ Association (NDSA) is a non-partisan national body that represents disabled tauira, and aims to challenge the collective barriers facing disabled tauira within the tertiary education space.
We strongly believe that we are not disabled by our impairments, but by the barriers that society place on us. It has long been understood that tertiary education can be a disabling environment, and so NDSA seeks to ensure that our voices are heard in addressing these issues. NDSA follows the mantra of the wider disability movement, “Nothing About Us Without Us”.
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To be disabled, or to have a disability, refers to a diverse and complex phenomenon. Disability reflects the interaction between an individual's impairment and the barriers of their environment. This includes- but is not limited to- physical impairment, mental health and psychological conditions, learning and/or sensory forms of impairment, neurodiversity, chronic illness, individuals within the Deaf community, etc.
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