At Sea Change CoLab we are thrilled to launch our free, self-paced, online course called Accelerating Accessibility at Work. We received funding from Communities, Culture, and Heritage to design, develop, and facilitate this training.
The training includes videos, infographics, and first voice stories to enhance engagement and learning.
Click here to register for free. There is no timeframe to complete the course. You can also download a text version of the course contents.
Understanding Disabilities
According to the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability by Statistics Canada, Nova Scotia has a higher percentage of citizens with disabilities than any other province in Canada. 30% of Nova Scotians 15 and older have at least one disability. 21% of youth aged 15 to 24 have at least one disability. (Statistics Canada, 2017)
Source: Nova Scotia Accessibility Directorate
Disabilities can be:
- Physical (such as disabilities related to mobility)
- Cognitive
- Sensory (such as hearing or visual)
- Learning
- Intellectual
- Developmental
- Neurological (such as autism or ADHD)
- Mental health related
- Pain related
- Related to chronic health problems
There are many different ways to understand people’s experiences of disability. This list is a starting point.
Disability is vastly diverse, and each person experiences their disability differently.
- The medical model of disability says people are disabled by their impairments or differences. This is an outdated approach, yet it continues to influence how people with disabilities are stereotyped and defined by a condition or their limitations.
- The social model of disability says people are disabled by the way society, systems, and the built environment are set up.
Watch this video where disability activist Scott Jones describes the difference between the medical model and the social model.