Ten of Guernsey’s deputies, including the Policy and Resources President, have taken part in a new Disability Confidence Training course.
The half-day course was delivered by the charity UnLtd, which says it was designed to improve participants’ engagement with disabled people by focusing on practical communication skills and problem-solving strategies.
The charity said the training is unique because it is delivered by a team of disabled people and carers who share their lived experiences.
Tim Feak, Development Manager at UnLtd, said the course focuses on “soft skills” rather than just legal requirements or statistics.
“This amazing new course, which is actually delivered by disabled people to help people better understand how to include people with disabilities in their business or in their work or in their leisure.”
He continued: “It’s very much about the kind of soft skills, you spend half a day with a range of people with all these life experiences, and there’s a kind of subtle process in there where you get a chance to talk to people, you get to kind of ask the questions that you might want to ask straight out.”
Mr Feak believes that attitude changes can often be more important than large, physical modifications.
“Really, it’s about kind of listening. It’s about asking, should I help? How could I help?
“It’s about appreciating that often it’s the attitude changes, rather than the big changes of putting a lift in or putting a ramp in.”
Deputy Sally Rochester, one of the newest additions to Guernsey’s elected officials, organised the trip.
Her colleagues who attended the session included, Lindsay De Saumarez, Tina Bury, Steve Falla, Rhona Humphries, Lee Van Katwyk, Sasha Kazantseva-Miller, Paul Montague, Tom Rylatt, and Gavin St Pier.
A second training course for deputies is scheduled for October. UnLtd also plans to make the course available to individuals and organisations across Guernsey.
The charity hopes to turn the training into one of its micro-businesses, providing employment opportunities for its disabled presenters.
Deputy de Sausmarez described the training as “practical” commenting on its interactive format.
“What I found most valuable about it is that it’s been really practically focused. So it’s not just theoretical. It’s not sort of dry and boring.”
The P&R President continued: “It involves people, presenters, who have each of them got their own perspective to bring because each of them has an impairment and a different impairment.”
The training emphasised that disability isn’t a “niche thing,” stating that one in five people in the island having an impairment, a point that wasn’t lost on Deputy De Sausmarez.
“It’s all about building your confidence, being able to, you know, not be intimidated or fearful, worried about interacting with people with impairments, and so giving you that confidence to actually, you know, offer help.”
She continued: “The course makes it really, really clear that one in five people in the island have an impairment of some form or other. So this is not a niche thing.”
Deputy De Sausmarez described the course as “authentic” and a “win” for all involved.
“Reducing barriers is going to be a win for everyone. So it’s not just something that is going to help people who live with impairments. It’s also going to help us as a community and our economy, for example.
“It was just very real. It was very practical and very informative, very authentic.”
