Rachael with her senior PA – Michelle Rachael was born with Cerebral Palsy and this resulted in her being unable to control any of her limbs and that she has no speech. I have been supporting Rachael as both her advocate and less often as her adviser for almost 20 years. I first began working both with and for Rachael when she had problems with appropriate support at Annan Academy. I know that to use the word “inspirational” when related to disabled people is frowned upon but the plain and simple fact is that she is just that – inspirational!!
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Posts by James Davidson
Visual Impairment Awareness Training
Visualise Training and Consultancy are running Visual Impairment Awareness training this Autumn. The course is designed to empower and enable you to: Understand the main eye conditions and the importance of eye health Use appropriate language and effective communication – is it ok to say “see you later”? Confidently guide a person with a visual impairment Make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 Ensure your services are accessible for people with sight loss Date Glasgow – 26th October 2016 Booking Details You can book your place on the Visualise Training and Consultancy website or via email. Cost per attendee: £95.00
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Case Study: Access for all – it’s all of our business!
In the 2011 census around 1 million people living in Scotland reported that their day-to-day activities were limited by a long-term health problem or disability. This means that the current ‘Access All Areas’ campaign being led by the Largs and Millport News affects a significant number of people. Then remember that this campaign is also aimed at older people and parents with push chairs. That adds a few more people who might benefit. If we then consider that communication access is just as important as physical access, adding people with communication support needs means even more people benefit from this
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Case Study: Social connections – the key to access
In my first column about the Access for All campaign, I asked a provocative question: ‘…what would be the point of gaining physical access to a restaurant if you can’t read any of the menus?’ Perhaps, I could have asked what would be the point of gaining physical access to any building, if the lack of accessible information meant you didn’t know anything about the services that were offered inside. Of course, this question can be answered in many ways and Zoe Mclean last week highlighted the valuable advice that Access Panels give in making sure any building or service
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Case Study: Getting support to develop inclusive communication
The Access for All campaign is attracting wide support from many different people and organisations but where is it you can go for advice and support? Previous columns have highlighted simple steps all of us can take to make any business, service or even our own interactions with people more inclusive. In this article I will highlight where you can get additional information, advice and support around inclusive communication. This will not be an exhaustive list because there are many individuals and organisations who can give excellent advice and support depending on the type of question that you have. However,
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Making Communication even better
Online educational resource aimed at improving communications between health and social care staff and people with communication support needs.
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Case Study: Joe, Researcher
Joe M., 27, applied for a position within a well known marketing firm. Joe has a hearing impairment, and had been looking for a position which would allow him to use his abilities in online work whilst accommodating his disability. Within the application form, there was no ‘Guaranteed Interview Scheme’ box, so Joe informed them of his disability within his personal statement. Having made it to interview, Joe was asked by email what he needed in order to attend the interview. The marketing firm were honest in telling him that they had no experience of providing communication support and openly
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Case Study: Rhian Campbell Disability Equality Internship Programme ‘The key, the door & Dypraxia’
The key, the door & Dypraxia “If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Albert Einstein Albert Einstein’s quote has always increased my confidence in times of difficulty because it reminded me of something very simple: everyone is different and everyone is brilliant. Climbing a tree to most people will seem a very simple task to most people but to others it is an impossible task. Just like unlocking my office door. Despite the professional importance of the job I’m about to undertake I find
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Access2Learning (A2L)
Access2Learning (A2L) is the Improvement Service’s free e-learning platform. It offers a wide range of learning resources designed to enhance staff development across Scottish local government, public and third sectors. It contains resources on different topics that can be used on your organisation’s learning management systems and some that can be adapted (if permissible) to suit your organisations needs. Resources are produced by councils themselves, by the Improvement Service, or by a wide range of other organisations. If you are a registered A2L user, click here to get started. If you are not registered or would like to be, you
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How to organise an Inclusive and Accessible Event
How to organise an Inclusive and Accessible Event When organising meetings, training sessions, conferences and other events it is important to make sure that they are accessible to everyone attending including disabled people. The checklists below will assist any organiser in making sure that their event is accessible to as many people as possible. Invitations When inviting delegates or speakers to an event, particularly where this includes people who are not known to the organiser, you should include an accessibility statement with the invitation and/or confirmation. For example: “We will do our best to fulfil your requirements to allow you
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