Supporting and celebrating disabled education staff

When I first started teaching in 2005, there was still a significant stigma around disability and neurodiversity by ITT providers. During my first week on the course, I was asked if I was intellectually capable of completing the course, simply because I was disabled. My answer to them was I would see them on graduation day. But I wonder how many others would have just given up at that stage. It did however open my eyes to the fact I would be expected to work harder than non-disabled people to prove that I was capable of being a teacher.

I also faced some very difficult incidents such as other staff making fun of my mobility aids and taking selfies with them. The head at the time did nothing about this, which was quite difficult to deal with and it nearly led me to quit teaching all together.

Over the last 20 years of my teaching career, I've faced other incidences of ableism but being able to talk to others within the disabled and neurodivergent community helped me realise I was not on my own. I also became a union representative and this helped me become much more confident in advocating for myself and others when it came to reasonable adjustments and my legal rights as a disabled employee.

I've worked for my current school since 2010 and initially it was very nerve-wracking to declare my disability knowing that eventually my health may deteriorate. At first, I felt that my requests for reasonable adjustments were seen as expecting special treatment rather than creating a level playing field. I was put under pressure to accept voluntary redundancy and support plans due to my disability, both of which I continually refused.

Fostering a supportive environment

The theme of this year’s UK Disability History Month is ‘Disability Livelihood and Employment’. Current UK employment statistics show that the disability employment gap has been increasing year on year since the pandemic. It is also important to recognise that the barriers to employment for disabled and neurodivergent people are often caused by a lack of suitable accessible employment or a failure on the part of the employer to make reasonable adjustments.

Thankfully, we changed trusts in 2017 and the new trust is extremely supportive. The most important thing they have done is to create an atmosphere where it is very clear they want to do better in terms of equality. They want to understand the lived experience of disabled and neurodivergent teachers rather than make assumptions.

I think sharing my lived experience with them has been the most important way to ensure they understand why particular reasonable adjustments are needed (even though at times this has been difficult to share). They have given me the understanding I need to thrive as a teacher.

UK Disability History Month is a great way to explore some of those authentic lived experiences but it’s also really important that school leaders and colleagues think about how they frame disability and the language they use to talk about disabled people’s experiences. It’s important to avoid language or phrases such as ‘suffers from’, ‘afflicted with’, ‘achieved despite their disability’ or other forms of ‘deficit’ language. We are not here to be pitied, we just want the world to be accessible to us and for non-disabled people to understand the role they need to play in creating that accessibility.

How to get involved this month

If you want to start exploring the lived experiences of disabled people here are my five suggestions. Remember, this not an exhaustive list and there is research you can do yourself or encourage your colleagues and pupils to learn about disabled people from history:

1. Judy Heumann: Judy was an American Activist who was part of the historic 1977 Section 504 sit-in. This sit-in was one of many that took place over America but was known for being the longest running sit-in process. It eventually led to the creation of the Americans with Disabilities Act which aimed to improve the rights of disabled people in America.
2. Barbara Lisicki and Alan Holdsworth: Barbara and Alan are both activists and advocates for disabled people’s rights in the UK. Barbara trained and qualified as a teacher, but struggled to find employment because employers at that time just didn’t want to hire disabled people to be in the classroom. In the 1990’s, she joined the protest movement that was campaigning for equal access to public transport.
   
   Barbara and Alan were both part of the protest group that bought traffic to a standstill on Westminster Bridge in 1995 by handcuffing themselves to buses in order to demonstrate how inaccessible public transport was. This action eventually led to the Disability Discrimination Act (1995). This act made it illegal to discriminate against a disabled person for the first time in UK history. Alan Holdsworth also established the first disability pride event in the US.

3. Billie Eilish: Billie is an advocate for Mental Health Conditions and Neurodiversity and often speaks about her experiences as a performer with Tourettes. Her ability to speak so candidly about her experiences has made her a relatable advocate for neurodiversity.
4. Frida Kahlo: Frida was a Mexican activist and artist who wasn’t afraid to challenge societal norms and boundaries. She used her art to express the intersectionality of the barriers she faced, often exploring issues around the expectations of women, femininity, gender stereotypes and her lived experiences of chronic pain.
5. Sophie Morgan: Sophie is journalist, social media influencer and television presenter. She is a disability advocate and activist, and is currently leading a campaign called Rights on Flights, which not only campaigns to raise awareness of the issues disabled people face when flying particularly those who are wheelchair users, but is also campaigning for a change in law to improve the rights of disabled people when they are travelling by aircraft.

Further support and advice

Disability History Month is an opportunity within your school or college to develop a culture of respect for difference and a chance to remove the barriers, so that all can achieve their potential. Find out more about how to get involved and access useful resources for your school or college via the DHM website.

If you are a school leader who would like to provide ongoing confidential support and guidance for yourself and your staff all year round, make sure you take a look at their Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).

And don’t forget, all teachers and education staff can call Education Support’s free and confidential helpline 24/7. When you call you’ll talk to a qualified counsellor for immediate, confidential emotional support: 08000 562 561