Disability awareness is generally low in the broader community. Have you ever found yourself not making the effort to connect out of fear of saying or doing the wrong thing? Well, it’s just this that makes people with disability feel invisible and excluded.
Knowing how to include people with disability to participate in an ordinary Australian life is something everyone can do to create positive change – whether this be in your workplace, at school, in your local community, or when developing policy and communications.
It really is as easy as raising your disability awareness. So let’s get going on learning how to start making a more accessible world for everyone.
By the end of the course you will be able to:
- Understand what inclusion means to people with disability
- Understand what disability etiquette is and how to meet, write and talk about people with disability.
- Know how to be inclusive for people with disability in different work and social settings
- Be able to identify exclusionary practice and policy or finding ways to break down barriers
Note: the tips and examples provided in this course is not expert advice and should be treated as a guide for awareness raising only. For more specific expert information, contact the relevant disability specific agency.
Lessons
What is disability inclusion?
Person-first vs Identity-first
The disability community is so incredibly diverse. What we all have in common is at least one body part that isn’t working as well as it might, or it’s non-existent.…
Disability etiquette
“Don’t assume we want or need your help. But never, ever hesitate to ask.” Mary Henley–Collopy We all make assumptions which we use as short hand to make sense of…
Blind or low vision
“The big fantasy is that I shouldn’t have to worry how I am going to get to a place… the footpath will be properly barricaded so I don’t fall into…
What about Deaf people?
“For me the word inclusion means that you have access to whatever is available in society.” Karthik Vijayanandam Tips for communicating with people who are hard of hearing/deaf Some deaf…
People with physical disabilities
“Inclusion for me begins with me. Inclusions says that if I choose to do something, I need to make it happen – I need the dream if going camping or…
Communicating with people who have little or no speech
“I live a big life. I’m out every night!” Thomas Banks It is a person’s right to communicate their own choices and decisions. Being able to communicate and make choices…
People with intellectual disability
“You don’t know what I struggle with in everyday situations like reading, writing and understanding people when they speak using jargon words” Cameron Bloomfield Tips for communicating with people with…
Invisible disabilities
“The worst thing you can say to someone with an invisible disability is – “but you look fine.” Kerri Cassidy What are invisible disabilities? The term invisible disability refers to…
Mental illness
Mental illness can have a profoundly disabling impact on day-to-day living and interacting with other people, leaving some people requiring ongoing financial assistance despite their eagerness to live and work…
Young people with disability
“There is an extra layer as a young person where I should be abled, and I look abled so I must be, according to ‘random stranger’ Issy Orosz Children and…
Avoid ‘inspiration porn’
Referring to people with disability as ‘brave’, ‘courageous’, or ‘inspirational’, just because they have a disability is disempowering and patronising.This type of language is known as “inspiration porn”. A person…
Ableist language explained
Eliminating the use of disability words and expressions in a derogatory, abusive or negative way, is key to making your interactions, your organisation and your community more welcoming and inclusive…
Including everyone
“Diversity is going to a party; Inclusion is being a member of the party-planning committee.” Daniel Juday Diversity Leader Work-related social events are an important part of developing a healthy…
Conclusion and more information
Congratulations you have reached the end of our course on How to be disability inclusive. In this course you learnt about:what inclusion means to people with disabilitywhat disability etiquette is and…