University life can be full of opportunities to connect \u2014 study groups, clubs, late-night conversations, spontaneous hangouts. If you\u2019re living with a disability, you already know that socialising might involve an extra layer of planning, but it\u2019s absolutely possible to build strong, meaningful friendships without sacrificing your needs or changing who you are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s no single ‘right’ way to be social. Some people love big events and crowded spaces. Others prefer smaller groups, quiet conversations or online communities. None of those are better or worse. If your access needs shape how you engage socially, that\u2019s not limiting \u2014 it\u2019s just different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can build a social life that fits your rhythm. That might mean starting a group chat, organising accessible movie nights or making friends through classes or mutual interests. What matters most is that it works for you<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friendship gets easier when people understand your needs, but that doesn\u2019t mean you have to explain everything all the time. You get to decide how much to share, when, and with whom. A simple heads-up like \u201cHey, can we meet somewhere with an elevator?\u201d can go a long way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most people want to include others \u2014 they just don\u2019t always think about accessibility unless it directly affects them. Giving them a chance to be more thoughtful can actually strengthen your connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friendships aren\u2019t just about being invited \u2014 they\u2019re about mutual respect and shared experiences. Your perspective, sense of humour, resilience and insight all matter. People are drawn to authenticity. You don\u2019t need to hide or overcompensate. Being yourself is the best way to attract people who are real with you too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Good friends show up. They adapt. They don\u2019t make you feel like a burden or an afterthought. It\u2019s okay to walk away from people who don\u2019t get it. The right ones will respect your boundaries, celebrate your wins, and check in when it counts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quality matters more than quantity. A few solid friendships are more valuable than a hundred surface-level ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Curtin, you can connect with other students through the Student Guild\u2019s Accessibility Department, an active group on campus that raises awareness, represents student voices and hosts events aimed at inclusion. The Guild offers opportunities to meet others who understand your perspective, build friendships, swap tips and grow together. You\u2019re not alone. And there\u2019s strength in finding others who understand where you\u2019re coming from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Barriers exist but they don\u2019t define your social life. You don\u2019t need to change yourself – you already belong here. The connections you make will grow from your strengths, your perspective and your presence \u2014 and they\u2019ll be all the more real because of it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you\u2019re living with a disability, you already know that socialising might involve an extra layer of planning, but it\u2019s absolutely possible to build strong, meaningful friendships without sacrificing your needs or changing who you are.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4418,"featured_media":28372,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"8547,7294,4563,4734,6050,4693","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","wds_primary_oasis-categories":0,"footnotes":""},"oasis-categories":[146,149],"class_list":["post-28371","oasis-news","type-oasis-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","oasis-categories-student-life","oasis-categories-wellbeing"],"acf":{"post_options":{"":null,"banner":{"image":false}}},"featured_image":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AMMON-20210921-Curtin-Student_Engagement-Shoot02-Tue21-1157_1500-1000x500.jpg","author_meta":{"first_name":"Rachelle","last_name":"Erzay","display_name":"Rachelle Erzay"},"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-11 21:11:12","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"oasis-categories","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oasis-news\/28371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oasis-news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/oasis-news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oasis-news\/28371\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"oasis-categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oasis-categories?post=28371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Being open helps, but you set the terms<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You bring a lot to the table<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Choose people who choose you back<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Accessibility can build community<\/h3>\n\n\n\n