Disability History Month is about celebrating the achievements of disabled people, and part of doing this is by learning about the impact that disabled activists have had on the UK and around the world. This timeline from Historic England takes you from disabilities in the medieval period in 1050, to how attitudes towards disabilities changed after the Second World War. You can read the full timeline on their website, or listen to the timeline as audio clips.
RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People) has two e-learning courses, designed to support employees and management to improve their deaf awareness. According to the RNID, 1 in 3 adults in the UK are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus, which means that your organisation has to be aware of deaf communication, and the way it can be used by hearing people. Their Deaf awareness training is designed for staff who could come into contact with deaf people, and their Recruiting, managing and supporting deaf employees training is designed for those in management positions.
Difference North East published their Good Practice in Inclusive Employment guidance in March, after conversations with disabled people about their experiences of work systems across the North East. The report highlighted the over emphasis on support to get disabled people into work, rather than support needed to help them stay employed. It also discusses the lived reality of fluctuating capacity, how to build accessibility into recruitment, reduce financial pressure and create support which is routine rather than reactive.
Disability North offers training and consultancy services to businesses and organisations which are looking to improve their disability awareness. This training is bespoke for your business, and can be created around your goals; whether that’s to improve staff awareness of disabilities, practical support on making more accessible environments in your business, or creating an inclusive and disability affirming culture. The training is delivered by Angie Stewart, their Engagement and Inclusion Lead.
This voluntary scheme is run by the UK Government, and communicates to staff and customers that you are a disability affirming business. There are three levels available for businesses; Level 1: Disability Confident Committed, Level 2: Disability Confident Employer, and Level 3: Disability Confident Leader. For Level 1, you must agree to the Disability Confident Commitments, and identify one practice that you can do to make a difference for disabled people. For Level 2, you’ll need to complete a self assessment, and confirm that you’re employing disabled people. For Level 3, your self-assessment is externally validated, and you must publicly report on disability, mental health and wellbeing.
