Disability, Accessibility and Mental Health Staff Network

DAMH staff network logo

For more information about this network and how to join, please contact damh@leeds.ac.uk or tweet @DAMHStaffNet

Terms of Reference

Co-Chair Biographies

Dax Everritt (they/them), Faculty of Medicine

Dax Everritt

Dax graduated from the School of Food Science and Nutrition with a 1^st Class BSc Nutrition (Hons) in 2017, and briefly worked in the NHS before returning to the University of Leeds to work in the Leeds Institute of Clinical Trials Research, handling data returned for clinical trials lead by the university’s researchers. Dax represented their institute on the School of Medicine’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion committee, before helping to establish the Disability, Accessibility and Mental Health Staff Network in November 2021. Outside of work Dax is a semi-professional writer, disability and LGBT+ rights activist, and (when they do take a break) an avid video game player.

Dax lives in Leeds with their husband, who they met as a student.

Kim Holmes (she/her), School of Chemistry

Kim gained a degree in Chemistry with Pharmaceutical and Forensic Science from the University of Bradford in 2010.  After a break to start a family, she started working as a teaching laboratory technician in the School of Chemistry in 2013.
Kim is passionate about advocating for disabled people and has particular interest and experience in supporting those with mental health complaints.  She became co-chair of the Disability, Accessibility and Mental Health Staff Network in November 2021.
Kim lives in Otley with her husband, two children and three cats.  On her off time, she can be found in the kitchen listening to podcasts, cuddling her cats, playing guitar badly (but enthusiastically) or wandering around the countryside.

Phillip Ross, Student Education Service

Phillip gained a 2:1 BA (Hons) degree in Management with Professional Experience from the University of Hull. The majority of his career has been spent in the charity and education sectors, and he joined the University of Leeds in 2021 as part of the SES Strategic Projects Team. Phillip has long been a passionate advocate for disability equality: whilst working at the University of Bradford, he was Co-chair of the staff network for disability equality (n-able) for 3 years from 2018 until his departure in 2021. During his time as n-able Co-chair, Phillip coordinated initiatives including the Bradford Purple Light Up to celebrate the International Day of Disabled People, held policy discussions to improve the conditions and experience for staff and students at the University, and gave the closing address, titled ‘Reflections on everyday assumptions about disability’, at the Disability History Month celebrations in 2020.

Phillip became co-chair of DAMH in August 2022.