Disability Awareness Training
I attended the disability awareness training which was a 2-hour interactive zoom session. The training was run by Lee Ellery who is living with cerebral palsy. This gave a first-hand experience to the training and made it more impactful. This blog will summarise the session.
What is a disability?
The Equality Act states that: A disability is 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.
The Social Model vs The Medical Model of Disability
The session outlined the differences between the social model and the medical model of disability. This was very insightful and I learned a lot from the constrasting models.
Types of Disabilities
- Physical disability
- Vision Impairment
- Deaf or hard of hearing
- Mental health conditions
- Intellectual disability
- Acquired brain injury
- Autism spectrum disorder
Reflection from the session
After the session, I learned that I may have conducted myself in the past in ways that could offend someone with a disability such as talking slower, talking like they are a child, or talking to their support worker as if they are not there.
I am now more aware and educated on the situation and will ensure to always treat everyone the same and address them as an adult. I strongly believe that this training has made me a better person who understands the disabled community a bit better and who will strive to continue to develop my understanding and experience to become a better person.
Discovery Student Volunteering Services
Here at Discovery we support all our volunteers and welcome any students with any disabilities. We truly believe that a disability should not effect your ability to be a great volunteer. Get in touch today to see what opportunities are available to you.
#disabilityawarenesss #training #equalityact #impairments #equality