ANU is committed to creating a safe and respectful community.
The Respectful Relationships Unit is a key part of the University's commitment to providing a safe and respectful campus for the entire ANU community. It leads the University's ongoing work to prevent sexual assault and sexual harassment before it occurs and to respond appropriately when it does happen.
The Respectful Relationships Unit can assist with making events safe and respectful by providing training to event organisers and volunteers on topics like bystander intervention or how to have difficult conversations. The Safe Events Framework is a valuable resource for event organisers, outlining steps to take when planning, setting up, running, and reflecting on safe events. The Respectful Relationships Unit can also provide debriefing for organisers, volunteers and attendees in situations where something not okay happens at an event.
How to talk to people respectfully
As a Function Organiser, you and your team must understand the sensitivities in how to talk to all individuals respectfully:
| Say this | Not this |
|---|---|
| Respect everyone's way of identifying - some people use person-first language (person with disability) & some prefer identity-first language (disabled). | Avoid sweeping terms about disability like "the blind" or "the deaf". Never ignore someone's preference when identifying. |
| Say "has a disability". People don't suffer just because they have a disability. | Don't say a person is "afflicted with" or "suffers from" a disability. A disability isn't something to 'overcome'. |
| Where possible, use the appropriate clinical name, such as 'person with schizophrenia' or 'person with mental illness'. | Don't use phrases with negative meanings like 'crazy', 'insane', 'lunatic', 'mental' or 'nuts'. |
| Wheelchairs enable mobility. Say 'wheelchair users'. | A person is not 'confined to a wheelchair' or 'wheelchair bound'. |