Disability awareness training VLE version

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Disability awareness trainingVLE version
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By the end of this CBT you will.

• Understand why the Disability Discrimination Act
  (DDA) is necessary
• Understand what is meant by disability
• Understand the medical and social models of
  disability
• Be more confident in dealing with disabled people
• Be familiar with the law
• Be familiar with what the College is doing to
  meet the requirements of the law

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DDA - why is it necessary?

• 10 million people are registered disabled in the
  U.K, including 5 of all children
• In 2003, 24 of disabled people aged 16-24 had no
  qualifications at all, compared to 13 of
  non-disabled people of the same age
• Disabled people are only half as likely as non
  disabled people to go to College or University
• Disabled people die younger, partly due to
  unequal access to health screening, assessment
  and treatment. One study found that people with
  learning difficulties are 58 times more likely to
  die before 50 than other citizens

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DDA - why is it necessary?

• Only 50 of disabled adults are in work, compared
  to 80 of non disabled adults
• Greater London Authority research in 2003 found
  that 50 of disabled respondents had experienced
  abuse or bullying because of their disability
• NACRO research shows that disabled people are
  four times as likely as non disabled people to be
  robbed with the threat of violence
• The same research shows that disabled people are
  twice as likely to be burgled than non disabled
  people

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DDA - why is it necessary?

• Compared to non disabled people, disabled people
  are -
• More likely to live in poverty
• More likely to be homeless
• More likely to be the target of hate crime
• More likely to die before 50

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DDA definition of disability

• A person has a disability if she/he has a
  physical or mental impairment which has a
  substantial and long term effect on their ability
  to carry out normal day to day duties
• For the purposes of definition, the effects of
  medical or other treatments, aids or appliances
  are ignored

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DDA definition of disability

• To fall within the Act, the person must be
  affected by their disability in one of the
  following ways
• Mobility
• Physical co-ordination
• Manual dexterity
• Continence
• Ability to lift, carry or otherwise move everyday
  objects
• Speech, hearing or eyesight
• Memory or ability to learn, concentrate or
  understand
• Perception of risk or physical danger

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Definitions of disability- disabled peoples
definition

• Disability- the loss or limitation of ability to
  take part in the normal life of the community on
  an equal level with others due to physical and
  social barriers
• Impairment - A medical condition or description
  of a functional limitation within the individual
  caused by loss or damage to physical,
  intellectual, psychological or emotional makeup

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Differences between disability and impairment

• An inability to walk is an impairment, however
  inability to access a building because the
  entrance is up a flight of steps is a disability
• An inability to speak is an impairment, but an
  inability to communicate because appropriate
  technical aids are not made available is a
  disability
• People are disabled by societys reaction to
  impairment

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Medical model of disability
Diagnosis
Incapable
Illness
Drugs
Special provision
Therapy
Health care professionals
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Problems with the medical model

• The disabled person is central and powerless
• Describes disabled people as ill and in need of
  treatment
• Aim is to counter the effects of the impairment
  by curing the person
• Disabled people who do not respond to the
  treatment can feel failed by the system and even
  feel personal failure
• Disabled people are viewed as having something
  wrong with them
• Disabled people are viewed as a burden on society

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Social model of disability
Inclusion
Access
Attitude
Equality
Information
Choice
Society changing to include disabled people
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Social model

• The disabled person is central and powerful with
  rights and choices
• Aims to counter the effects of the impairment by
  removing environmental and social barriers
• The ultimate aim is to change society so that
  disabled people can participate on an equal basis
  with everyone else. This involves
• Access to buildings, houses, public transport,
  information, employment and education
• A change of attitude
• An end to discrimination by removing
  dis-enabling (disabling) barriers

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Language and terminology

• The type of language we use to describe disabled
  people and types of disability is critical as
  some terminology reinforces negative stereotypes
  and is offensive to disabled people
• Disabled is not a noun. The disabled implies a
  homogenous group, separate from the rest of
  society
• Avoid attaching labels to people with or without
  impairments e.g. the word normal has no real
  meaning if we are all different!

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Language and terminology

• Dont make an adjective into a noun, e.g. a
  diabetic, or an asthmatic. Use people with
  diabetes, or people with asthma
• Avoid handicapped, use disabled
• Avoid victim of or crippled by, use person
  who has, or person with
• Avoid suffering from or afflicted by, use
  living with
• Avoid invalid use disabled person
• Avoid mentally handicapped use learning
  difficulties
• Avoid mental illness use mental health
  difficulty

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Points to be aware of...

• Leaning on a persons wheelchair is the same as
  leaning on the person. The chair is part of
  their personal space
• Dont grab the back of someones wheelchair to
  push it along. Wheelchair users can usually get
  around under their own power, however if they
  need help to overcome obstacles, they will ask
  for it
• Where appropriate, move from behind counter/desk
  to sit beside the wheelchair user

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Points to be aware of...

• When offering assistance to someone who has a
  visual impairment, allow her/him to take your
  arm. Guide, dont lead or propel them
• When communicating with someone who is deaf or
  hard of hearing, be aware of any background
  noises, face him/her when speaking, and check
  your understanding by asking questions
• When communicating with someone who has
  difficulty with speech or language, be patient,
  dont finish her/his sentences

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Points to be aware of...

• Just because someone has difficulty speaking does
  not mean they will have difficulty understanding
  you
• Summarise and ask closed questions to check your
  understanding
• It might sometimes be useful to ask the person to
  write things down if you are still having
  difficulty understanding them after several
  attempts

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Points to be aware of.

• Not all impairments are visible, try to avoid
  making assumptions based on what you see. The
  following are just a few examples of invisible
  impairment
• People with mental health difficulties
• People with epilepsy
• People with AIDS
• People with learning difficulties

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Points to be aware of...

• If you are planning an event
• involve disabled people in your planning
• include information about accessibility in your
  publicity
• if you do not, then disabled people may not
  attend due previous negative experiences

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Disability equality - the new duty

• Within the most recent legislation, the College
  has both general and specific duties.
• The general duty has six elements, and requires
  us to give due regard to -
• eliminating unlawful discrimination and
• eliminating disability related harassment and
• promoting equality of opportunity between
  disabled persons and other persons and

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Disability equality - the new duty

• General duty ctd
• taking steps to take account of disabled persons
  disabilities even where that involves treating
  disabled persons more favourably than other
  persons and
• promoting positive attitudes towards disabled
  persons and
• encouraging participation by disabled persons in
  public life

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Disability equality - the new duty

• We have three Specific Duties under the Act. We
  must
• Publish a Disability Equality Scheme by Dec 06
• Prepare and regularly review an action plan that
  sets out the steps to fulfil the new duties
• Review, revise and publish the Scheme every three
  years

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What does this mean in practice?

• We must make reasonable adjustments for disabled
  people
• For students this might include special exam
  arrangements extending essay deadlines making
  changes to course content providing learning
  support assistants etc.
• For staff, this might include provision of
  specialist keyboards or computers adjustments to
  desks and chairs etc.

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What does this mean in practice?

• We must anticipate the needs of disabled people
  and remove barriers accordingly
• For students, this might mean scheduling classes
  on the ground floor providing hearing loops in
  classrooms providing materials in alternative
  formats providing communication support workers
  etc.
• For staff it might mean when replacing old
  equipment, accessible equipment is always
  purchased

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What does this mean in practice?

• We must involve disabled people in writing our
  disability equality scheme and action plan
• We must conduct impact assessments on all of our
  policies
• We must monitor progress towards equality

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What is the College doing?

• The Disability Task Group and the Disability
  Equality Policy Statement support the College to
  meet these duties, and provide the framework from
  which the Disability Equality Scheme will be
  developed
• Groups of staff, students and community members
  are being established to impact assess policies
  and to be involved in establishing the College
  disability equality scheme and action plan

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Sources of support - students

• The Learning Support team provides advice to
  staff on reasonable adjustments and additional
  support for students
• The Learning Support team also provide specialist
  training on teaching students with learning
  difficulties

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Sources of support - staff

• The College is
• The HR department, and Occupational Health Nurse
  are happy to help staff with queries and
  additional support
• The Resources folder in OEveryoneEquality and
  Diversity0607 contains helpful resources for
  use with students

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Completion

• Thank you for completing the Disability
  Awareness Training CBT
• Further equality and diversity training packages
  are available on the VLE
• For further information, or to provide feedback,
  please contact Theresa Linder lindert_at_bpc.ac.uk
  or call extn 5417
• Please complete an Equality and Diversity test if
  you have not already successfully done so