Let's Talk About Disability

In this instalment we are celebrating the national dyslexia and dyspraxia awareness weeks.

 

Key definitions

Not familiar with this instalment's theme? Find out more by clicking below:

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a combination of abilities and difficulties; the difficulties affect the learning process in aspects of literacy and sometimes numeracy. Getting through required reading is generally seen as the biggest challenge at higher education level due in part to inability to skim and scan written material. Marked and persistent weaknesses may be identified in short-term and working memory, speed of processing, sequencing skills, auditory and /or visual perception, spoken language and motor skills.

Abilities can include good visuo-spatial skills, creative thinking and intuitive understanding; enabling technology is usually found to be very beneficial.

What is Dyspraxia?

Students with dyspraxia are affected by an impairment or immaturity of the organisation of movement, often appearing clumsy. Gross motor skills (related to balance and co-ordination) and fine motor skills (relating to manipulation of objects) are hard to learn and difficult to retain and generalise. Writing is particularly laborious and keyboard skills difficult to acquire. Pronunciation may also be affected and people with dyspraxia may be over/under sensitive to noise, light and touch. They may have poor awareness of body position and misread social cues in addition to those shared characteristics common to many SpLDs.

 

Stories from our community

"Unfortunately, unconscious bias still exists and I wanted any employer to get to know me first before I admitted anything. Basically I wanted them to realise I could do the job regardless. The Engineering Department at Warwick is the first place I’ve felt comfortable enough to talk about my dyslexia with colleagues and my line manager, and the response has been very positive" Olivia Joyce.

Learn more by reading personal stories from the Warwick staff community showcasing people's lived experiences here.

 

Resources and support

• The Library and IT Services offer a range of accessibility features including assistive software and productivity tools, an e-book video playlist to find out how you can adjust and improve an e-book's appearance, access to the RNIB Bookshare online educational Library with over 600,000 titles in accessible formats which can be used alongside assistive software (eligibility isn’t limited to people with a visual impairment; Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, and physical disabilities are included too), and bookable accessible and sensory study rooms, where students can adjust their sensory environment to their own individual preferences.
• Increase your awareness of inclusive and accessible teaching practices with the Inclusive Education Model and Warwick's Digital Accessibility resources.

 

You can also learn more about Dyslexia on the British Dyslexia Association's website and about Dyspraxia on the Movement Matters website.

Our common understanding of disability is conditions that have a visual cue (e.g., people who use mobility aids or have a guide dog), but did you know that estimates suggest up to 80% of disabled people have an unseen disability. At Warwick, the overwhelming majority of the disabilities that staff and students have shared are 'unseen' - 91% of disabled staff have an unseen disability and 97% of students.

People experience disabilities in a very personal and individual way. This makes it even more important for all of us to increase our awareness and work together, helping Warwick to be inclusive and accessible to all.

 

Key definitions

Not familiar with this instalment's theme? Find out more by clicking below:

What is an unseen disability?

An unseen disability is a disability that may not be immediately obvious. This may be referred to as an unseen, hidden, or invisible disability.

They can include medical, sensory, neurodevelopmental, social, learning, speech, mental health and other types of disabilities. They include, but are not limited to, autism and Asperger syndrome, cognitive impairments such as learning difficulties and dementia, as well as mental health conditions and speech, visual impairments, or hearing loss. They also include respiratory and chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, chronic pain and sleep disorders when these significantly impact day-to-day life.

 

Stories from our community

"It feels as if I have flu every day. People don’t believe me when I say that, as if it is not possible to live with flu every day. But that bone-aching tiredness, the extreme sensitivity, the debilitating headaches, and the feeling that you have no idea how you are going to get out of bed or have a shower, as it just seems impossible that you have the energy to move, is how I feel every day." Rachel Evans.

Learn more by reading personal stories from the Warwick staff community showcasing people's lived experiences here.

 

Resources and support

• The University of Warwick is a Hidden Disabilities Sunflower member. Meaning we are committed to creating a campus where people feel safe to share that they have a hidden disability and can get any support they need to fully participate in work, study, and at our stores and venues.

 

Learn more about unseen disabilities in the Invisible Disabilities Index, which has information about over 900 unseen disabilities!

Annually during November/December (exact dates change) UK Disability History Month is celebrated. This creates a platform to focus on the history of disabled people's struggle for equality and human rights.

 

Key definitions

Not familiar with this instalment's theme? Find out more by clicking below:

Why is UK Disability History Month in November and December?

UK Disability History Month runs across November and December every year. This covers HIV/AIDS Day (1 December), International Day of People with Disabilities (3 December), and International Human Rights Day (10 December). It also follows on from Anti-Bullying Week (annually in November) which is important as 2.5 times as much bullying is recorded towards disabled people as compared to non-disabled young people (70-80% of young disabled people claim to have been bullied in school and college).

UKDHM has been running since 2010, and has seen a steady increase in interest and activity since that time.

 

Stories from our community

Melissa Downing, Widening Participation Officer, has created an online exhibition of records from the Modern Records Centre (MRC) documenting ‘Disability and Work’ after the First and Second World Wars, when soldiers injured in combat were supported to return to the workplace. In addition, Liz Wood, MRC Archivist, has created an extensive research guide around Disability History in the MRC archives.

Please note archives at the Modern Records Centre include historical terminology used to describe medical conditions or aspects of disability. This language reflects the context in which the material was created, and may be considered offensive today.

Learn more by reading personal stories from the Warwick staff community showcasing people's lived experiences here.

 

Resources and support

• A reading list for Disability History Month has been created by Library staff, members of the Disability Taskforce, WarwickEnable, and the Disabled Staff Network. If you would like to suggest an addition please contact Jane Dashwood, Library Disability Support Officer ( ). You are also welcome to send any comments and feedback.

 

Learn more about disability history in this Historic England resource - A History of Disability: from 1050 to the Present Day.

Blind people and people with serious visual conditions might experience sight loss in a very individual way, but they all face challenging barriers in their day to day life. Raising awareness of these barriers is an important first step towards challenging ourselves, our processes and policies to collectively contribute towards the development of an accessible and inclusive environment for all.

 

Key definitions

Not familiar with this instalment's theme? Find out more by clicking below:

How many people in the UK have visual disabilites?

In the UK, more than 2 million people are living with sight loss. Of these, around 340,000 are registered as blind or partially sighted.

Everyday 250 people begin to lose their sight.

 

Stories from our community

"The 'printed books vs e-books' debate is inherently ableist, though inadvertently in most cases [...] As members of a university, we rely on books and texts of all varieties, and as such we need to leave behind the idea that there is one superior way to access the knowledge they provide." Anonymous Student.

Learn more by reading personal stories from the Warwick community showcasing people's lived experiences here.

 

Resources and support

• We have various physical features of campus that allow blind and visually impaired people to safely navigate campus, for example, tactile warning surfaces, signage and surface contrast considerations, and toilet facilities for assistance/Guide dogs. We have worked closely with organisations such as local charity The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, including most recently on some of the exciting new Future Mobility initiatives coming to campus. Find out more about Choose Your Way Warwick.
• Accessibility of not only the physical environment but also resources, materials, communications and web content is vital for blind staff and students, and for any disabilities related to other serious visual conditions. A fundamental principle of inclusive practice is ensuring that content is developed, presented and delivered in an accessible format from the very beginning. Find out more about Digital Accessibility at Warwick.
• The Library and IT Services offer a range ofaccessibility features including assistive software and productivity tools, an e-book video playlist to find out how you can adjust and improve an e-book's appearance, access to the RNIB Bookshare online educational Library with over 600,000 titles in accessible formats which can be used alongside assistive software, and bookable accessible and sensory study rooms, where students can adjust their sensory environment to their own individual preferences.
• If you feel that you need a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) for safe evacuation of a building in an emergency the Independent Assessment Tool will help the University identify the appropriate emergency response requirements and the assistance you may require.

 

Find answers to common questions about blindness and visual impairment on the Sense website.

Every year, the first Thursday in March is University Mental Health Day. This day is a reminder to look after ourselves and support others but to also continue talking about our mental health and wellbeing. Having these conversations has never been more important, to raise awareness, recognise the challenges and share information about support.

 

Key definitions

Not familiar with this instalment's theme? Find out more by clicking below:

How common are mental health problems?

1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England.

The overall number of people reporting mental health problems has been going up in recent years.

You can find more mental health facts and statistics on the Mind website.

 

Stories from our community

"It had been suggested that I contact the Employee Assistance Scheme to talk to someone about what support might be available but I had many concerns such as confidentiality, what would be offered and if it would make any difference at all. After much thought I decided I had nothing to lose and made the initial call, and I can honestly say I am so glad I did. [...] Of course, there was no quick fix- I still have good days and bad days. But when I look back, that support was integral to me moving forward and rebuilding myself. Don’t suffer in silence, speak to someone" Anonymous Staff Member.

Learn more by reading personal stories from the Warwick community showcasing people's lived experiences here.

 

Resources and support

• The Staff Wellbeing Hub provides an overview of all support available for staff.
• The Employee Assistance Programme is a confidential support service designed to help University staff deal with personal and professional problems that could be affecting your home life or work life, health, and general wellbeing.
• Wellbeing and Student Support offer a range of services are to students as well as advice to staff supporting students. Initial wellbeing consultations are available on a daily basis, as well as weekly masterclasses and specialist skills sessions. Support and guidance is offered with managing the impact of mental health disabilities on study and students can also access a range of therapeutic interventions and self-help resources.

 

Learn more about mental health conditions and find sources of support on the Mind website.

Annually, during March and April (exact dates change annually) World Autism Acceptance Week is celebrated.

Having a better understanding of how members of our staff and student community might see the world from a uniquely individual perspective is how we can embrace difference and raise awareness.

 

Key definitions

Not familiar with this instalment's theme? Find out more by clicking below:

What is autism?

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world. One in 100 people are on the autism spectrum and there are around 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK.

You can find out more about autism on the National Autistic Society website.

Why did the name change from World Autism Awareness Week to Acceptance?

The annual observation used to be called World Autism Awareness Week, but in 2022 this was updated - talking about the change, the National Autistic Society said:

"We’ve come a long way in the past 60 years and today almost everyone has heard of autism. But far too few people understand what it’s actually like to be autistic – both the strengths you can have and how hard life can be at times. No-one should feel judged for being autistic or have to wait many months or even years for a potentially life changing diagnosis, vital help and support. We need society to change. Autistic children, adults, and their families just want to be understood, supported, and accepted in their communities, schools, and workplaces."

You can find out more about World Autism Acceptance Week on the National Autistic Society website.

 

Stories from our community

"I remember feeling like I was wired differently to everyone else, I remember saying that so many times. And I didn't know really how to feel about that or what it meant. I mean, I didn't know anything about neurodiversity back then. [...] And the funny thing is, it turns out I was right, I am wired differently to everyone else. But that's why raising awareness is so important." Alex Jackson.

Listen to Alex's interview in full below and learn more by reading personal stories from the Warwick community showcasing people's lived experiences here.

 

Resources and support

• Autism at Warwick is a student society set up by and for autistic students at the university. They run socials and campaigns, and are home to a lively Discord group chat where members can discuss anything from films to baking, as well as providing a safe space for peer support and autism-related discussions.
• The Staff Neurodiversity Peer Support Group aims to create a safe and confidential space for members of staff who would like support with their neurodivergent experiences and general wellbeing.
• Are you the parent or carer of a neurodivergent child or young adult? A number of colleagues have recently started to catch up informally once a month to share thoughts, feelings, and frustrations as well as offer each other moral support and practical tips and ideas.
• The Neurodiversity Toolkit is an interactive toolkit with resources and exemplars collected from the staff community and supported by testimonies from neurodivergent students. It covers the basics of neurodiversity, learning and teaching and neurodiversity, personal tutoring and neurodiversity, and neurodiversity and student experience.
• Autism at Warwick have produced a comprehensive guide for staff about autism, teaching and learning, and addressing common myths and stereotypes - 'What I Wish You Knew: A Guide for Staff from Autistic Student'.
• Disability Services have collated a list of quieter spaces on campus which can help provide a calmer environment for any student who is feeling overwhelmed.
• The Library has worked with Autism at Warwick to produce an autism reading list with a variety of resources for anyone to access to find out more about autism, improving awareness, and understanding.
• The inaugural Warwick Inclusion Conference, held in June 2022, included a session on 'Inclusive teaching for autistic and neurodivergent students' - you can catch up on key learning from the session on the Conference webpages.
• The Work Inclusion Project have developed this guidance on autism and communication, including 12 tips for autistic-friendly communication.
• Autism&Uni provide a wide range of free Best Practice Guides for professionals supporting autistic students in Higher Education.
• Find a range of support for students with Autism Spectrum Conditions on the Disability Services webpages.

 

Learn more about what autism on the National Autistic Society website.

Annually in May, Deaf Awareness Week is celebrated. In this 'Let's Talk About Disability' instalment we are talking about D/deaf awareness and the support that is available at Warwick.

 

Key definitions

Not familiar with this instalment's theme? Find out more by clicking below:

What is the difference between deaf and Deaf?

Eleanor Hassall, Deaf student and former Warwick Enable President said:

"You might see deaf written as Deaf or D/deaf. The capitalisation of Deaf is often used by people who see their deafness as more than just a disability but also their cultural identity. The Deaf community is an especially strong one with its own cultural norms and rules, and obviously also our own language in British Sign Language! Some people might prefer to just say deaf instead of Deaf if they don’t feel very connected to the Deaf community or see their deafness as a disability rather than an identity."

You can read more of Elanor's reflections on language at the bottom of this page.

What do different levels of deafness mean?

Deafness is broken down into 4 levels by audiologists: mild, moderate, severe, profound. The picture below puts these levels into context using an audiogram. On the X axis is sound frequency (low to high left to right) and on the Y axis is sound volume, increasing as it goes down. There are pictures of common sounds to show what these levels of deafness mean.

Do hearing aids/cochlear implants 'fix' deafness?

Hearing aids do not restore hearing, nor do they give the same access to sound as a hearing person. They simply amplify the noise and cannot distinguish between sounds or prioritise, for example, someone’s speech over traffic. This means they are lesss useful where there is background noise or more than one person talking because when there are multiple sounds it can sound like an indistinguishable wall of sound. For this reason, D/deaf people may take out their hearing aids in some settings and insteadd rely on lip-reading skills.

What's a radio aid and why am I being asked to wear one?

A radio aid works a bit like a personal microphone for deaf students. The part you will be given is the transmitter containing a microphone which will pick up your voice and wirelessly transmit it into the receiver which is typically either built into the student’s cochlear implant/hearing aid or is worn as a loop around their neck. The sound feeds straight into the hearing aid and significantly reduces background noise, making it a lot easier for the student to follow classes.

If you are being asked to use a radio aid, please bear in mind they are incredibly powerful devices so shouting, eating, even drinking will all be amplified significantly into the student’s hearing aid! Also please remember to take the radio aid off if you need to leave the room or speak to someone in private.

Why do D/deaf students get extra time in exams/for essays?

Many Deaf students had language acquisition problems when growing up due to inability to access sounds. This means reading may take longer as they may struggle with piecing together sounds and phonetics as we they can't naturally ‘hear’ them in their head. D/deaf students also often have exams in a room on their own for this reason too – sothey can say things aloud to sound them out to try and figure it out. Reading and understanding things takes longer, so the extra time mitigates this.

Many students also share that they are D/deaf when submitting essays/exams/coursework as, especially for native British Sign Language (BSL) users, they might write sentences in a differnt order as BSL has its own sentence structures, grammar rules, word orders etc. meaning that students might write in this manner rather than standard English. There are also some things in BSL that might not directly translate into English meaning we students may make unsuaul word choices/phrasing that a hearing person wouldn’t. Students might share that they are D/deaf so this can be considered when marking.

 

Stories from our community

"But hearing difficulty does not need to lead to a deaf sentence. Colleagues are universally very good. They understand the importance of clarity over volume. They readily spell out words when I ask them to do so. Vitally, they are patient. For that, a big thumbs up, and a huge 'thank you'." Anonymous Staff Member.

Learn more by reading personal stories from the Warwick community showcasing people's lived experiences here.

 

Resources and support

• The UK Council on Deafness have provided a list of top tips to support communication as part of D/deaf Awareness Week:
  • Face the person while you are speaking. Don’t turn away.
  • Repeat yourself if necessary.
  • Never say ‘It doesn’t matter’. If the person doesn’t understand you, don’t give up!
  • Write it down or draw a picture.
  • Speak one at a time, don’t talk over each other.
  • Keep your mouth visible. Smile and relax.
  • Don’t speak too quickly or too slowly.

• Advice from students on making classes more accessible for D/deaf students:
  • If you are using any audio-visual content such as videos, podcasts, webinars etc. these must have captions or transcriptions, and if they don’t, you need to be prepared to provide one for your students. Please try to avoid things like saying ‘oh it doesn’t matter’ or ‘you don’t really need to watch this anyway’ as this is incredibly demoralising and isolating.
  • Send us PowerPoints, handouts, lesson plans, etc. in advance. If we know what sort of things to expect/listen out for, it makes lipreading and following a lot easier.
  • If you’re teaching a long class (over an hour) please consider including a short break as concentration fatigue is a serious issue for us! I can’t go more than about 50 minutes before listening and following becomes so exhausting my brain gives up.
  • If someone has a BSL interpreter or a notetaker in the class, speak to the student not the person providing their communication support.
  • In online classes ask people to turn their cameras on when they speak if possible. The subtle change in language from ‘turn cameras on’ to ‘only when speaking’ massively increased the number of people who turned their cameras on when contributing as they didn’t feel pressured to have them on all the time. This is hugely helpful as it allows for lip reading. If people won’t turn their cameras on to speak, ask them to post a summary of their point in the chat and/or as the class tutor, summarise what they said with your camera on.
  • Try not to speak too fast – this also goes for recording lectures. The faster you speak, the harder it is for the auto-captions to pick you up and the less accurate they become – and trust me, they’re already pretty bad.
  • Lay tables out in a horse-shoe shape. This is because it means we can see the maximum number of people for lip reading.
  • Repeat questions from students back to the rest of the room so that we’re clear on the questions that are being asked and can follow the discussion.
  • Don’t talk with your back turned (e.g., when you’re writing on a board) I can’t ‘hear’ you if I can’t see your lips.
• Advice from students on making communication easier for D/deaf people:
  • Be patient! If we don’t hear you first time, please don’t say ‘it doesn’t matter’ or ‘I’ll tell you later’. And if we ask you to repeat yourself, please say the same thing again as we’ll be trying to piece together what you’ve said and just need to hear it again.
  • If you're wearing a mask, don’t just shout louder if I can't hear you, as this won’t make it any easier. Alternatives include: write it in the notes section of your phone, use a pen and paper, gesture, get a mask with a clear panel to allow for lip reading, learn some basic BSL, or as a last resort step back to be 2m away and lower your mask so we can lip read.
  • Make sure you have our attention before speaking to us e.g. large visual gesture or gently tapping us on the shoulder (some D/deaf people don’t like the latter option though so always check).
  • Once you do have our attention, make sure you’re facing us when you speak and where possible try and have conversations with us in places with minimal back ground noise/distractions.
  • Speak clearly and naturally – please don’t shout or try and over exaggerate your lip patterns as this actually makes it harder to follow.
• The Library have brought together some of the freely available software and apps available to staff and students at Warwick which can support anyone who is D/deaf or hard of hearing.
• IT services provide a wide range of guidance for digital accessibility for online teaching materials.
• Find out more about why it is important to make accessible video content, captions and audio descriptions, and how this applies to SiteBuilder video and audioclips.
• There is a dedicated webpage for portable hearing loops with a list of locations as well as links to instructions. These portable hearing loops are designed to work for 1:1 or very small group conversations to help hearing aid users minimise background noise. Centrally Timetabled Teaching Rooms have larger fixed loop systems more suitable for larger group or teaching activities. Rooms with fixed loop systems fitted can be found using the Centrally Timetabled Room Information Facilities Search, which allows you to filter rooms by Induction Loop and other features before booking the room.
• If you feel that you need a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) for safe evacuation of a building in an emergency the Independent Assessment Tool will help the University identify the appropriate emergency response requirements and the assistance you may require.
• The Sign&Sing Choir meet online one lunchtime every week. Everyone is welcome; staff and students. Choir members are from all areas of the University with people from University House, the School of Law, the SU, Wellbeing, the Library, and Estates. Come along to sing a lot, laugh a lot, and learn a lot.

 

If you'd like to learn some basic BSL, visit the Doncaster Deaf Trust website - they have put their entire BSL Level 1 course online for everyone for free. All you have to do is register for an account.

Physical disability covers a diverse range of mobility issues, use of mobility aids, or difficulty using arms. A very important aspect of physical disabilities is how accessible the physical environment is. We often refer to inclusive design when we think of accessibility, to encourage designing environments that are usable and accessible by all people without the need for any further adaptations. This goes hand in hand with the social model of disability, whereby disabled people are disabled by an inaccessible environment.

 

Key definitions

Not familiar with this instalment's theme? Find out more by clicking below:

What is the social model of disability?

The social model says that people are disabled by barriers in society, not by their impairment, health condition, or difference. Barriers can be physical, like buildings not having accessible toilets. Or they can be caused by people's attitudes to difference, like assuming disabled people can't do certain things.

The social model helps in recognising those barriers. Removing the barriers creates equality and offers disabled people more independence, choice, and control.

You can learn more about the social model of disability on the Scope website.

 

Stories from our community

"Something else that perpetuates the problem is society’s assumption that all wheelchair users can’t walk or are paralysed. Of course there are some who can’t because of their own situation, but this view of disability binarism, (the black-and-white view of you either can or can’t walk) means that many wheelchair users who can walk when their condition permits, often for short distances in managed scenarios, feel unable to due to comments made by others and the anxiety this induces." Anonymous Staff Member.

Learn more by reading personal stories from the Warwick community showcasing people's lived experiences here.

 

Resources and support

• The University's Social Inclusion Strategy objective on culture includes an intention to create ' An environment, which is flexible, adaptable and facilitates meaningful interactions'. This sets out our aims to collaborate with stakeholders to ensure that our buildings/infrastructure and information are inclusive and accessible to all. We are one of only a few institutions to employ an Accessibility Officer, this role which is a dedicated resource in the Estates team focused on improving accessibility and inclusion. This in-house expertise has had a tremendous impact on the way Estates looks at accessibility and inclusion, ensuring that these are considered and implemented throughout the whole spectrum of Estates business from planned capital development through to reactive maintenance.
• We are very proud to have 6 Changing Places Facilities across our campuses at Warwick. Find out more about all of our Changing Places, including 360-degree photos on the Estates webpages.
• If you feel that you need a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) for safe evacuation of a building in an emergency the Independent Assessment Tool will help the University identify the appropriate emergency response requirements and the assistance you may require.
• An Evacuation Chair is a specially designed folding chair that can be used to transport mobility impaired people down a building fire evacuation staircase. Fire Wardens can familiarise themselves with the use of Evacuation Chairs with the training available on the Health and Safety webpages.

Annually, on the third Thursday of May, Global Accessibility Awareness Day is celebrated.

The idea of a Global Accessibility Awareness Day started with a blog post written by a Los Angeles-based web developer, Joe Devon, in which he argued that 'Accessibility know-how needs to go mainstream with developers. NOW.' and called for "a day of the year where web developers across the globe try to raise awareness and know-how on making sites accessible."

 

Key definitions

Not familiar with this instalment's theme? Find out more by clicking below:

Why does accessibility matter?

• Accessibility helps our users. Work on digital accessibility will help users who have access needs. Whenever we create inaccessible content, we are excluding users. Making your webpages accessible also makes them more usable for everyone.
• Accessibility is a legal requirement. At Warwick, as a public sector institution, we now have a legal obligation to make our digital communications accessible for all users. This applies to everything we do digitally including apps, digital events, emails, videos, social media and websites.

 

Resources and support

• The Library and IT Services offer a range of accessibility features including assistive software and productivity tools, an e-book video playlist to find out how you can adjust and improve an e-book's appearance, access to the RNIB Bookshare online educational Library with over 600,000 titles in accessible formats which can be used alongside assistive software (eligibility isn’t limited to people with a visual impairment; Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, and physical disabilities are included too), and bookable accessible and sensory study rooms, where students can adjust their sensory environment to their own individual preferences.
• Increase your awareness of inclusive and accessible teaching practices with the Inclusive Education Model and Warwick's Digital Accessibility resources.

• AbilityNet provide an online service ‘My Computer My Way’ which guides you to personalise your computer using the inbuilt accessibility options. There is also a bank off further resources including fact sheets and webinars which may be useful.

 

You can find a beginners guide to digital accessibility on the Scope website.

Annually in August, International Assistance Dog Week (IADW) is celebrated. IADW was created to recognize all the devoted, hardworking assistance dogs helping individuals mitigate disabilities.

Assistance dogs are highly-trained animals whose job it is to help a disabled handler traverse the world around them. They come in all shapes and sizes, though Labradors and Golden Retrievers are by far the most common, pretty much any breed of dog can be trained to provide assistance.

7,000 people in the UK rely on an assistance dog, the majority of whom are guide dog handlers, but also include dogs trained to help wheelchairs users, people with other physical disabilities, D/deaf or autistic people, as well as medical detection.

 

Key definitions

Not familiar with this instalment's theme? Find out more by clicking below:

What is an assistance dog?

The Equality and Human Rights Commission states that Assistance Dogs:

• are not pets and are treated as “auxiliary aids”,
• are highly trained,
• will not wander freely around the premises,
• will sit or lie quietly on the floor next to their owner and are trained to go to the toilet on command and so are unlikely to foul in a public place.
• Most are instantly recognisable by the harness or identifying dog jacket they wear.

Source: EHRC - Assistance dogs: a guide for all businesses.

 

Resources and support

• We recognise that some disabled staff and students may need to use an assistance dog, and under the Equality Act 2010, assistance dogs are permitted on the University grounds. The Assistance Animals for Disabled People Policy outlines the way in which we will manage the provision of campus access for assistance animals as part of our commitment to creating a diverse campus.
• Assistance animals, who are sometimes called ‘service animals’ overseas, include:
  • Dogs trained to perform daily personal care tasks (for example, retrieving or carrying items, opening and closing doors, switching lights on and off, pulling laundry from washing machines) or mobility assistance (for example, pulling wheelchairs or helping with balance) for people with physical disabilities including cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, or suffering long-term impacts after a serious accident.
  • Guide (or ‘seeing eye’) dogs to assist people with vision impairments to move around safely.
  • Hearing (or ‘hearing ear’) dogs to alert people with hearing impairments.
  • Medical alert dogs (such as for the detection of impending seizures in people with epilepsy or of blood sugar changes in people with diabetes).
  • Psychiatric assistance dogs to interrupt anxiety, alert to triggering situations and wake from a nightmare for people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or other mental health related disabilities, traumatic brain injury, etc.
• Many people don’t know how to act around assistance dogs, but the etiquette is pretty simple - pretend the dog is not there, just the person. You’ll be able to tell a working dog by the harness or jacket they’re wearing, or by the special slip on their lead. Assistance dogs are highly trained working dogs, performing tasks to assist disabled people to enable their owners to be independent. Distracting a dog in any way can be dangerous for the handler, so never you shouldn't:
  • Touch or feed an assistance dog, unless invited to do so by their owner.
  • Deliberately distract or startle an assistance dog.
  • Separate or attempt to separate an assistance dog from the person using their service.
• If you feel that you need a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) for safe evacuation of a building in an emergency the Independent Assessment Tool will help the University identify the appropriate emergency response requirements and the assistance you may require.

 

Learn more about assistance animals on the RSPCA website.