DISABILITY AWARENESS
"Boundaries to Bridges"

This workshop covers visible physical disability issues, and non-visible disability issues, and what they mean in reality.Our society needs to raise its awareness that people with “different needs and abilities” also have the need to be socially included whether it's within a work, academic, or alternative/ eco-friendly environment. Differently abled people are often left feeling socially excluded and isolated, both within mainstream life and elsewhere.

This is an aspect of social politics just as important as gender or racial equality and badly needs addressing. Despite its good intentions, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has yet to put forth any initiative addressing the equal right to education, employment and social inclusion of people with special needs, both in the developing world, as well as on an international level.

This campaign is nothing to do with chasing up local authorities making sure people with special needs are getting the right statutory services, there are plenty of schemes and organisations already doing that. This campaign is based on the need for society to see people with different needs and abilities, as people first and what they can contribute to society in all aspects of life, i.e. the person first before the special need. Also, in some respects, there is a need for people with special needs to stop thriving on, or allowing the stigma handed to them by others; the stigma that creates boundaries or misunderstanding, which often stops people from what they want to do in life.

According to Disability Wales, a support network, one in seven people have a special need of some kind. Within this country, this campaign proposes to raise awareness on a social level towards this significant section of society through a series of workshop and discussion groups. Eventually, it proposes to petition the likes of the UN and other non-governmental bodies on the issues mentioned above.

Anyone who would like to contribute to the campaign with any ideas or comments, can contact:

Boundaries to Bridges:
• Dawn Hunt • 01970-625-311 or 07817-634-520
• freespirit@chriannon.fsnet.co.uk • WORD DOWNLOAD

WORKSHOP SUPPORTED BY THE FOLLOWING ORGANISATIONS: