Harriet Cannon
@harrietcannon.bsky.social
1.2K followers 1.8K following 820 posts
University Disability Practitioner and Manager, NADP Senior Accredited member, NADP Director, AAPHE founder. Accidental competence standards nerd. Pronouns: she/her. Views entirely my own.
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Pinned
harrietcannon.bsky.social
Maybe I should introduce myself? I'm a university disability practitioner, managing a disability team in a large Russell Group uni. I'm an autism specialist, and an inclusive assessment and competence standards nerd. I will rant frequently about ableism and disablism in HE.
Reposted by Harriet Cannon
dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social
I'm giving away this signed 1st edition h/b of my new novel (it has a tiny jacket rip which means I wouldn't sell it) to one person who reposts this.

You might like it if you like:
Folkloric creatures
Old records
Intricate psychedelic stories
The idea of circular time

All shares much-appreciated.
Joe McLaren's fabulous cover for Everything Will Swallow You A close up of the small tear on this first edition of Everything Will Swallow You
Reposted by Harriet Cannon
sillysyntax.bsky.social
"An English degree is a rip off" said by the people who are currently ripping everyone off. They don't want you to be literate, to understand the context, the references or the rhetoric they are using to scam you.

A rip off for THEM. If you can read, write and parse meaning, you're harder to fool.
harrietcannon.bsky.social
English graduate here, busily using the skills I learnt every single day in a job that requires careful, flexible communication, the ability to argue effectively, think critically, write convincingly in a variety of styles, parse text quickly and 'lay the track' when talking. And still love reading!
eve.gd
This makes me so angry. These people view all life as training for lifelong servitude/work. There's no room for interest, enjoyment, and culture in their bleak vision of education. At least she'll never be in power to see it through. Though Reform are probably worse.
Badenoch: Curb students taking "rip-off" degrees such as English. The performing arts, sociology and anthropology are among the subjects the Conservatives would like to cut
harrietcannon.bsky.social
I do find it curious that the NHS will happily give me a vaccine for one highly contagious respiratory virus (weedy asthmatic) but not for the other. Last year I qualified for a Covid vaccination due to caring responsibilities, but that's gone this year too.
paolosandro.bsky.social
This. People eligible for the flu vaccine are not eligible for the updated COVID booster. That makes zero sense
cvcev.bsky.social
The MILLIONS of people who were denied vaccines are suddenly realising.

@rthonwesstreeting.bsky.social this was a terrible idea.

Not only will the NHS struggle this autumn / winter, but people will suffer and die unnecessarily.

It isn't too late for a U-turn!
Reposted by Harriet Cannon
gatorpond.bsky.social
"compassion fatigue," much like "emotional labor" is real, but has been co-opted. it was coined to refer to the feeling that, say, ppl in medical fields get when they're forced to work in an unfair system so they don't have the means to alleviate the suffering of others despite having the knowledge-
harrietcannon.bsky.social
Although it's all fun and games until it's peeing with rain and half the dogs won't come back 😆
harrietcannon.bsky.social
Settled for a hot shower a brew and a rainy afternoon kip!
harrietcannon.bsky.social
Are there some sort of bonus points available for running to your flu jab appointment (and back) through a massive storm?
harrietcannon.bsky.social
Wow. What terrible, unconstructive feedback for a start! But this is absolutely the point, so many elite fee paying schools have the resources, capacity, and knowledge to guide students effectively. It's a massive headstart not available to everyone
Reposted by Harriet Cannon
harrietcannon.bsky.social
She's not really disadvantaged at all but it's still been a big uphill battle to work out the process. There was loads of stuff she could have accessed over the last 2 years but most of it through school links her school doesn't have.
harrietcannon.bsky.social
Our dog goes out once a week with our dog walker who loads him and his pals in a van and takes them to the woods and the stream for a couple of hours. She is, without a doubt, his absolute most favourite person in the world 😆
dieworkwear.bsky.social
$200k to hang out with dogs. amazing

IG gabriel.desanti, barkandburn
harrietcannon.bsky.social
My recent emojis in Teams tell a story, I feel...Especially the top line
A selection of emojis, from celebration, to bucket, through vomit, poop, birds, brick walls, champagne, stars, grumpy faces, laughing faces, bamboozled faces, microphones and hugs, strong arms and rainy clouds
harrietcannon.bsky.social
I should point out the college we visited (Worcester) was brilliant once we got there, and the conversations my daughter had with the tutors and current students gave her a big confidence boost, helping her think that she did deserve to apply, so big thumbs up to them.
harrietcannon.bsky.social
(Also, all their Open Days are on weekdays, so parents need to take time off work, which will be easier for some parents than others)
harrietcannon.bsky.social
Some colleges offer free overnight accommodation - but only for students, not parents, so you still need to book a hotel. All the college accommodation was booked up months in advance by school groups, who also get free minibus parking - again, great for those schools able to provide group trips.
harrietcannon.bsky.social
It also cost us about £150 to attend, because the Open Day started at 9.00am, requiring an overnight stay in one of the most expensive areas of the country (a Premier Inn in nearby Bicester was £100), plus fuel costs as we couldn't easily get to cheap accommodation on the train, plus the P&R.
harrietcannon.bsky.social
It was very obvious in the sessions that my daughter was the only one not from a 'posh school'. Even asking a question out loud in her (not very strong) Yorkshire accent was intimidating. The college we visited was amazing on the day, but so many potential students may not get that far.
harrietcannon.bsky.social
University widening participation activities are great, and the college we visited has loads of pre-applicant activities. But finding out about them so often relies on a school or college being on the ball, and facilitating the process, and not everyone has that. (We'd missed loads of events).
harrietcannon.bsky.social
And my daughter has a significant advantage over others in her situation because I went to Cambridge (also with zero school support or prep) so I have an insight into the game she needs to play. And I work in HE. But what about all those kids aspiring to the top unis with no support?
harrietcannon.bsky.social
The other kids' schools have been running years' worth of mock interviews, personal statement prep, TSA test practice. My daughter is having to figure it all out on her own because her overstretched, under-resourced state school doesn't have time/capacity/experience to assist her.
harrietcannon.bsky.social
...with longstanding relationships between their school and those college admissions teams. My daughter had me, and a Premier Inn. No one from Oxford (or Cambridge, or other top unis) has ever visited her school. There is no longstanding relationship with an admissions team.
harrietcannon.bsky.social
I was thinking about this recently when taking my eldest to the Oxford Open Day. She's at a northern state grammar school. She was amongst groups of kids who had been bused in by their schools, had stayed in college, where their schools had already been visited by various colleges...
harrietcannon.bsky.social
Yep, I've seen similar - totally forgetting the person on the receiving end of the process you're trying to battle through