Employers for Disability NI

Disability Awareness Training

This website training session is specially designed for Employers for Disability NI members to highlight disability awareness among staff. The session involves a multiple choice quiz, with general and specific disability questions and some information sections on the five key areas of disability:

• Hearing
• Visual
• Physical and mobility
• Learning
• Hidden

As a member of Employers for Disability NI, your employer actively works to promote training and employment opportunities for people with disabilities, and to make products, services, and the environment accessible to disabled customers. Achieving this involves, among other things, making all staff 'disability aware', and this training tool makes up a part of the package that Employers for Disability NI provides for members to help them train staff.

Note: the quiz test is personal to you. Your employer will not see your individual scores, but they are keen to know that you have completed this test. Also, the information sections do not comprehensively cover each area of disability. They simply give some insight and some practical advice about the disability. The main aim is to improve your awareness and to encourage you to think about how you behave towards making our environment truly accessible for all.

You will complete the quiz now, at the start of the session, and once again at the end. This will be useful for comparing scores to give some indication of learning. You will read through the information sections in between answering the quiz questions.

The session will take approximately 15 minutes. Good luck!

Multiple Choice Quiz

Please answer all questions. Click here to begin

Information Sections

General Disability

In Northern Ireland, the estimated adult population who has a disability is 21%, just over 1 in 5 of the popultion.  Since the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), in 1995, it is unlawful to discriminate against people with disabilities as employees, as customers, and as service users.  The DDA covers many different types of disability and applies to people who have, what is viewed as, a long-term disability, namely at least 12 months.

Note: for a detailed overview of the DDA view the DDA powerpoint presentation (click on the link in the Members Only Area).

Abiding by the DDA is the responsibility of everyone

Despite the introduction of the DDA, a person with a disability is still around twice as likely to be unemployed as a person without a disability. There may be a variation on this figure; the rate can be even higher for different types of disability, such as learning disability or mental health disability.

People with disabilities represent a largely-untapped resource pool of potential employees, customers, and service users. It is important to ensure equality of opportunity in every respect for people with disabilities. Research has shown that there are many benefits from having people with disabilities as employees and as customers, e.g., increaing staff morale when there is a disabled team member; gaining a disabled customer's friends and family as additional customers.

You can make a difference to how people with disabilities can work with you or to how you can best serve disabled customers. How you act and behave can make a difference. Show respect, and if necessary, ask how you may be of assistance if a difficult situation arises. (Note: assistance may not be required so do not be offended if your offer is declined). Learn from your experiences, and share knowledge gained with other colleagues.

Deaf Awareness

In Northern Ireland, one in seven people has a hearing impairment. People with hearing loss are affected in different ways ranging from mild hearing loss to no hearing at all.  64% of people with a hearing loss have a degree of useful hearing. This is often enhanced by wearing a hearing aid. Technological advances have greatly assisted people with hearing impairments, both in employment and out-and-about in the environment.

There is an acceptable etiquette (as advised by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People) regarding how people with hearing impairments may be described and this includes: Deaf, Partially deaf, Deafened (e.g., as a result of an accident) or Hard-of-Hearing (in particular, the largest group of people with hearing loss, older people).

Many people who are deaf can lip read. Below are some tips when talking with a person who does:

• Make sure the person is looking directly at you
• Make sure background noise is at a minimum
• Only slow down the rhythm of speech slightly
• Do not raise your voice or shout
• Use pen and paper if necessary
• If an interpreter is present do not talk directly to him/her, continue to look at the deaf person

Visual Awareness

Many people with a visual impairment have some degree of vision and this varies from person to person. Only very few have no sight at all, approximately 4%.  Four out of five people with a visual impairment are over retirement age.

Only 17% of blind people are in employment.  Work is feasible for visually impaired people, and this is especially so due to technological advances.

Interacting with visually-impaired people for the first time can sometimes cause discomfort to the sighted person. This need not be the case, and there are some tips that can be of assistance in this situation:

• Make sure you verbally greet the visually impaired person, tell them who you are, and if there are any obstacles between them and you as they walk forward
• Always offer your assistance first and wait for the person to respond - do not assume the person needs to be guided
• To guide, walk slightly in front, offering your arm rather that holding theirs
• Remember to tell the person where you are going and what obstacles are in front
• If you offer a seat, put the person's hand on the back of the chair (or seat if it is a stool) and let them sit down themselves
• If a guide dog is present do not pat, distract or feed

Learning Disability

There are approximately 32,000 people with a learning disability in Northern Ireland. A learning disability can range from mild to severe, and as with all disabilities, any effects are individual to each person. People with learning disabilities have as broad a range of abilities and strengths as people without.

Many people will be aware of the term Autism, but many will not realise that 20-25% of people with Autism have no learning difficulties.

People with Down's Syndrome vary in ability and comprehension, many have an above-average IQ (Intelligence Quotient). The key is not to make assumptions about a person's level of ability of comprehension or communication. Always assume you will be understood from the outset and your behaviour will be positive and help ensure a positive outcome in return.

Below are some tips to help you interact with people with learning disability:

• Be patient, explain things slowly and clearly
• Do not be patronising, always treat the person according to their age
• If necessary, ask how you can be of assistance
• Do not attempt to finish a person's sentence if they are having difficulty communicating
• Repeat if necessary or even write down messages or instructions

Physical Disability

The description 'physical disability' applies to a wide range of people with disability. As with other disabilities, there are numerous individual differences. Technological advances, and improvements in best practice, have enabled better access for people with physical disabilities to employment, goods and services and the physical environment.

When asked to consider physical disability many people immediately think of wheelchairs. In fact, less than 5% of people who are physically disabled use wheelchairs.

The most common form of physical disability relates to back problems, costing the economy £4 billion each year due to time off work.

It is estimated that around 400,000 people in the UK experience Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), with half of them taking some time off work.

These disabling conditions may be alleviated, and in some cases prevented, by appropriate working practices and conditions.

There is evidence to show that many people are initially uncomfortable around people who use wheelchairs or who are physically disabled. Below are some tips for positive communication and interaction:

• When speaking to a wheelchair user, stand at a comfortable distance from the wheelchair so that the person can look up comfortably and avoid neck strain. If you will be talking for a longer period, try to find an area where you can also sit down
• Always speak to the person in the wheelchair and not to a companion
• Do not touch or lean on a person's wheelchair
• For someone who uses crutches, ask if they would like to sit down
• If a person has a physical disfigurement, e.g., on the face, do not stare at it or make a comment about it

Hidden Disability

Hidden disabilities are just as the name describes. They will usually not be obvious straight away; indeed, they may never become apparent—only doing so if the person tells you directly, or if they encounter a difficulty as a result of the disability.

The category 'Hidden Disability' covers a wide range of disabilities, for example: epilepsy, diabetes, mental health disability, heart conditions, strokes. We will briefly consider epilepsy and diabetes as these are both on the increase in the UK.

Epilepsy

In the UK, one in 130 people has epilepsy. Many people view epilepsy as unpredictable in nature. It is not. It follows a range of patterns from slight or momentary loss of consciousness to episodes at regular intervals that can be fairly accurately predicted. Control of epilepsy, whether with drug and/or behaviour therapy, is the key.

Another common assumption is that people with epilepsy are photosensitive. Only 3-5% are photosensitive, and this is most common between the ages of 9 and 15. Also, this is mostly caused by television and not computers.

Tips to assist with colleagues:

• Build up trust with the person so they feel confident enough to report changes in their condition and talk about their anxieties
• Employers and colleagues should know and understand
  • type of epilepsy and its effects
  • the warning signs of the individual
  • how long episodes normally last
  • what should be done if an episode occurs

Diabetes

Approximately 3 in every 100 people will develop diabetes. Around 40,000 people in Northern Ireland have been diagnosed with diabetes, and it is estimated that another 25,000 have yet to be diagnosed.

There are two different types of diabetes; Type 1 or Insulin Dependent, and Type 2 or Non-insulin Dependent. Type 1 usually appears before the age of 40 and treatment involves insulin and diet. Type 2 usually appears after the age of 40 and is treated by diet alone or diet either with or without insulin or tablets. It is becoming more common.

Poor management of diabetes can lead to complications. Well-managed diabetes should have little impact on a person's employment.

Tips for understanding and assistance:

• Each person's experience of diabetes is different, so work with an individual and what is best for them
• Allow privacy for a person to test blood glucose or inject insulin if required
• Most people recognise their symptoms if a hypoglycaemic episode occurs. Be aware of appropriate action that you can take, e.g., bring food or a drink to the person, ensure the person is not overheating
• If a colleague needs time-off for a medical appointment, perhaps accept some additional duties for that period, e.g., phone cover, typing. If newly-diagnosed, time off required may be once a month. If established, this may only be once a year.

This Disability Awareness Information Session is now complete. You will now do the Quiz again, which will help test your understanding of the above.

Importantly, remember that your own behaviour towards people with disabilites makes a difference. Positive attitudes and behaviour will result in a positive outcome for all concerned.  Please remember to share your experiences and learning with others.