Rachel Barber’s Post

Here I share why we need more allies to push for “deaf awareness training” in the workplace. The reality is that many employers which do not take up the training are the ones that need it most. Yet we also know training people, who are reluctant to be there, is usually not helpful. Therefore we all have a role to play in highlighting the benefits of disability and deaf awareness training. This is where being an ally can make a difference. This week I shared a negative story on LinkedIn about how a hospitality business failed to meet the Equality Act leading the customer and her family to leave before they even ordered food. But I don’t like using negative stories because evidence from Scope suggests that individuals' perceptions of disabled people worsened when they get complaints or facts that show them that this is bad for their business. Nevertheless there are occasions when it does need to be shared. But these must be followed up with positive stories and facts. Here is an excellent article  from the  Harvard Business Review sharing the benefits of employing Deaf people. To name just a few - innovation including the texts we have on phones, compassionate workforce, sharing different ways of communicating using visual language and images etc.  I would encourage everyone to read and share. We need to remove barriers and stop making assumptions, which is one of the biggest barriers we face in the workplace and wider society. https://lnkd.in/eK7_ZS4W Get in touch with us for deaf awareness training or other training that will support your business to thrive. Visual description: image of a side profile of a face in purple. The image of the face is not fully visible. Title of the article " Is Your Organisation Inclusive of Deaf Employees." #Allyship #PostiveStories #DeafAwareness #EqualityAct #InclusionMatters