Ability Awareness for Mentors: Fiona McCandless-Sugg.

1
Ability Awareness for Mentors Fiona
McCandless-Sugg.

• Focus on how we can facilitate learning in
  nursing students who are covered by disability
  legislation (and why we should be doing this).
• Day 7 SPL Module
• (March 2009).

2
Aim

• To raise awareness of the legislative and
  professional disability-related issues that
  impact on nursing

3
Learning outcomes

• By the end of the session participants will be
  able to
• Define disability in accordance with current
  legislation
• Discuss discrimination as it applies to
  disability
• Discuss the concept of reasonable adjustments as
  applied to disability
• Consider how disability awareness is important in
  nursing

4
Medical Model
5
Charity / Tragedy Model
6
Social Model
7
Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995

• Ensures legal rights for disabled people
• Focuses on employment, access to goods, services
  and facilities, and education

8
DDA Part 1

• Definition
• a physical or mental impairment which has a
  substantial and long-term adverse effect on your
  ability to carry out normal day-to-day
  activities

9
Normal day-to-day activities

• At least one must be badly affected
• Mobility
• Manual dexterity
• Physical co-ordination
• Continence
• Ability to lift, carry or move everyday objects
• Speech, hearing or eyesight
• Memory or ability to concentrate, learn or
  understand
• Understanding of the risk of physical danger

10
Not covered under DDA

• These are not considered impairments
• Lifestyle choices such as tattoos or non-medical
  piercings
• Tendency to steal, set fires, and physical or
  sexual abuse of others
• Hayfever, if it does not aggravate the effects of
  an existing condition
• Addiction to or a dependency on alcohol, nicotine
  or any other substance, other than the substance
  being medically prescribed

11
DDA Part 2

• Employment and occupation
• Aims to stop discrimination against disabled
  people at work and when disabled people apply or
  train for jobs
• Reasonable adjustments
• To the workplace and the job description
• Adjusting premises, altering hours, or buying
  equipment
• Access to work

12
Qualifications Bodies

• Must take reasonable steps to prevent disabled
  students, members or applicants being placed at a
  substantial disadvantage compared with people who
  are not disabled
• Do not need to make reasonable adjustments to
  professional standards
• Must be justified
• Make adjustments to assessment process where
  necessary

13
Work Placements

• Unlawful for work placement providers to
  discriminate in
• Selecting work placement candidates
• The terms of the placement
• Dismissal
• Reasonable adjustments may depend on the length
  of the placement

14
DDA Part 4

• Legislation brought in as the Special Educational
  Needs and Disability Act (SENDA, 2001)
• Covers pre-16 and post-16 education
• Work-based training that takes place in an
  institution is also covered

15
Reasonable Adjustments

• Might include
• Changing admissions, administrative and
  examination procedures
• Changing course content
• Changing physical features and premises
• Changing teaching arrangements
• Providing additional teaching
• Providing communication and support services
• Offering information in alternative formats
• Training staff
• There is an anticipatory duty

16
Disabled Student Allowance

• DSAs are intended to cover any extra costs
  incurred because a student has a disability
• They are not means tested
• Four categories
• Specialist equipment allowance
• Non-medical helpers allowance
• General expenditure allowance
• Travel allowance

17
DDA (2005)

• Passed in April 2005
• Amends DDA (1995)
• Most changes to be implemented by end of 2006
• Key points
• Definition
• General qualifications awarding bodies
• Transport
• Public Sector Duty

18
Disability Equality Duty

• Public sector required to actively promote
  disability equality
• Positive duty
• Eliminate unlawful discrimination
• Disability Equality Scheme
• Must demonstrate that they have taken actions
  that they have committed themselves to, and
  achieved appropriate outcomes

19
Hidden Disabilities

• A disability that is not immediately obvious to
  the observer
• Social impact you look OK
• Implications can be dismissed as unimportant
• Effects on confidence and well-being of person
  with a hidden disability

20
Examples

• Asthma
• Transplants
• Diseases of the heart / circulatory system
• Mental disabilities / learning difficulties /
  psychological illnesses
• Epilepsy
• Dyslexia

21
Equality

• Equality Act (2006)
• Equality and Human Rights Commission
• The Disability Rights Commission (DRC)
• The Commission for Racial Equality
• The Equal Opportunities Commission
• Discrimination also unlawful on grounds of age,
  religion or belief, or sexual orientation.

22
SKILL

• Hannah deaf
• Deidre dyslexia
• Joanne deaf
• Mary neurofibromatosis
• Stephen dyslexia
• Angie physical and mental health difficulties

23
NMC Standards

• All students to be supported to achieve full
  potential
• Work in partnership
• Confidence that disclosure will not lead to
  discrimination

24
NMC Good Health

• NOT absence of disability or health condition
• No blanket bans
• Must be capable of safe and effective practice
  without supervision

25
Maintaining Standards

• Result of DRC Formal Investigation
• Regulatory frameworks
• Assessment of health
• Disclosure
• Nursing, teaching and social work
• Professional Regulation
• Access to professions
• Whats wrong with you? not What can you
  contribute?

26
Maintaining Standards

• Protection of public is highest importance
• Professional regulations
• Do nothing to protect the public
• May offer a sense of false security

27
Reasonable Adjustment - Nursing

• RCN Guidance
• Reasonable to consider
• Practicality
• Effectiveness
• Cost
• Health and safety (self and others)
• Be creative
• - Outcome

28
Educational Considerations

• Not about compromising professional standards
• Previous educational experiences
• How do we promote disclosure?
• How do we promote awareness?

29
Mentor obligations

• Duty to
• Eliminate harassment, victimisation and
  discrimination on basis of disability
• Promote equality of opportunity
• Promote positive attitudes towards disabled
  people
• Create positive environment for disclosure

30
Contact

• fiona.mccandless-sugg_at_nottingham.ac.uk
• 01623 465608