Our primary purpose is campaigning to change perceptions of disability and achieve greater equality for disabled people in the North East. We can also do this by offering specialist training and consultancy services. A major contributor to developing an inclusive culture in your organisation is by training your staff and managers.
At Difference, we offer in-depth training across a range of disability issues including developing inclusive recruitment practices, making your online content accessible, and developing an awareness of the fundamentals of disability politics and discrimination.
All our workshops are run by expert, disabled facilitators. They are highly participative whilst embedding inclusion and access at the very core of what we do.
Please see our Training Offer Information Pack PDF for more information, and how to book. These workshops can be delivered via Zoom for up to 20 participants.
We offer the following workshops:
- Disability Equality, Awareness and Etiquette
- Disability Inclusion at Work
- Inclusive Online Meetings and Events
- Accessible Online Content
Our Workshops
Disability Equality, Awareness, and Etiquette
Length: 2.5 hours
An introduction to the key issues around disability equality and inclusion.
Course Aims
- Challenge the way you think about and act towards disabled people
- Improve inclusion and accessibility for disabled customers, visitors, and colleagues
- Promote greater diversity within your organisation
Who is the Course for?
This training is suitable for anyone wishing to improve their knowledge and understanding of disability issues and how to build a more inclusive culture.
What the Course Covers
- Fundamentals of disability politics and models of disability
- The portrayal of disability in society
- Stereotyping, ableism, and implicit bias
- Disability discrimination and the law
- Common barriers to participation
- Disability etiquette – to help or not to help
- Language and terminology
- Planning for change
“Just to feedback that the training was really very helpful. We started working with a visually impaired actor shortly after the training started and I notice how everyone in the team responded differently to working with him as a result of the sessions. I was proud of how they dealt with his access needs and I think there is a direct correlation between the training and the way we worked in this project.”
– Joe Hufton, Artistic Director – November Club
Disability Inclusion at Work
Length: 2.5 hours
Most employers aspire to have an inclusive working culture where colleagues’ differences are respected and valued. However, the experiences of disabled people tell us that there are many barriers that prevent them from getting a job or enjoying equality in the workplace. Employers who are serious about inclusion will benefit from this interactive workshop.
Course Aims
- Recognise what an inclusive workplace looks, sounds, and feels like.
- Practice non-discrimination to foster an inclusive employment culture for disabled people.
- Understand the relationship between equality, barriers, and workplace adjustments.
Who is the Course for?
This training is suitable for anyone involved in the recruitment and managing of staff, including HR and leadership roles.
What the Course Covers
- What an ‘inclusive employment culture’ is and how to achieve it
- Disability, the law, and reasonable adjustments
- Recruitment, Selection and On-boarding
- Managing Workplace Adjustments across the employee lifecycle
- Action Planning
Digital Accessibility Workshops
We believe that everyone has a right to be able to access the online world. We all rely on the internet for services, work, education and so on.
Poorly designed websites, documents and social media create barriers for many disabled people.
We offer two workshops that can help organisations to make their digital content accessible and inclusive.
Inclusive Online Meetings and Events
Length: 2.5 hours
Course Aims
- Develop and facilitate accessible online meetings and events.
- Build an inclusive digital culture across the organisation
Who is the Course for?
This training is suitable for anyone across the organisation who takes part in online meetings or plans and deliver online events.
What the Course Covers
- Common barriers to inclusion and participation
- Preparing for your event – building in accessibility from the start
- Online meeting platforms – some pros and cons of different systems and how to use accessibility features
- Take-away top tips for inclusive meetings and events
- Language and terminology
- Planning for change
Accessible Online Content
Length: 2.5 hours
Course Aims
- Understand the fundamentals of digital accessibility
- Improve awareness of digital accessibility so it can be embedded in practice
- Develop accessible and inclusive digital content
Who is the Course for?
This training is suitable for everyone across the organisation, but particularly for those developing online or digital content, from webpages to blogposts and even social media.
What the Course Covers
- Fundamentals of Digital Accessibility and meeting the guidelines
- Common barriers to inclusion
- Inclusive website design
- Accessible documents
- Multimedia accessibility and images, including social media
- Language and literacy