Member Article

Are you doing enough for your disabled employees?

Michelle Wickendon of e-Quality Learning asks, are you doing all you can for your disabled employees?

The Equality Act 2010 states that employers should not discriminate against disabled employees in the way that they offer or provide training.

Employers must also make reasonable changes to improve the accessibility of a training programme. Changes might include:

• providing individual training for disabled employees to use any adaptations or special equipment used in the workplace
• providing training over a longer period for employees who can only attend a training course for a limited number of hours per day
• providing training material in different formats, making sign language interpreters available and allowing trainees to bring a personal assistant on a course
• adjusting premises used for training
• train other staff to understand the organisation’s policy towards disabled people
• provide disability equality training for all staff
• be an example of good practice by setting standards of accessibility within the organisation
• make the services they are providing accessible to disabled people

One way of ensuring that these factors are adhered to would be to enlist the help of North East based assistive technology company e-Quality Learning.

e-Quality Learning is fast becoming the assistive technology trainer of choice for independent learners, Higher Education Authorities and employers. We offer a unique training service for individuals with a range of disabilities from dyslexia, cerebral palsy, and sensory impairment to individuals with mobility or a physical disability.

The training enables learners from a variety of backgrounds to breakdown the learning barriers which may have been in place for many years. e-Quality Learning provide a bespoke training framework for each learner, having established a clear understanding of what the individual’s learning requirements and present coping strategies are. A resource bank is provided once the learner has received the initial specified assistive technology training, these will be available to the individual for the duration of their course or whilst in the workplace to enable them to refresh their skills and knowledge base at times to suit them.

One major benefit of our service the ability to access the training either onsite e.g. at work/ University or remotely (online). The flexibility of the training also means the learner can access the training outside usual working hours. Statistics shows 40% of learners prefer to use the service in the evening and at weekends. Over 80% of learners have already chosen to undertake training remotely with 87% of learners booking subsequent sessions due to confidence and delivery of the initial session; this is the highest percentage in the UK. Having worked with acclaimed Neuropsychologists all trainers working for e-Quality Learning
are aware of individuals’ multiple intelligences and how this affects an individual’s personal learning and retention ability.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by e-Quality Learning .