Disability Awareness Fortnight is an opportunity for us to come together as a community to raise awareness of the various disabilities that exist and to dispel myths about people with disabilities.
Disability Awareness Fortnight is an opportunity for us to come together as a community to raise awareness of the various disabilities that exist and to dispel myths about people with disabilities.
Below is a short list of debunked myths about disability.
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Not All Disabilities are Visible. According to the NHS, up to 80% of all disabilities are invisible. Some of the most common of these include chronic pain, PTSD, multiple sclerosis and diabetes.
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Disability doesn’t mean unemployability. Having a disability doesn’t mean you’re stuck jobless, tons of people with different abilities bring valuable skills and perspectives to the workforce, along with making workplaces more inclusive and diverse.
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Dyslexia doesn’t just affect reading. Dyslexia affects memory, organisation, concentration, communication and multi-tasking. Some dyslexics have little difficulty reading and writing, whereas others struggle greatly.
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Journey planning can be difficult. For those with accessibility needs, planning a trip can affect their social and work lives in a big way. For example, only around 34% of London Underground stations have step-free access from street to train.
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1 in 6 of us have a disability. The World Health Organization estimates that 1.3 billion people experience significant disability. This represents 16% of the world’s population, or 1 in 6 of us.
Further Resources
Queen Mary’s Disability and Dyslexia Service: https://dds.qmul.ac.uk/
Disability Rights UK Resources: https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/policy-campaigns/education-skills-and-employment/disability-and-skills-unit/resources