Disability Awareness

The issue of disability awareness training is a real bee in my bonnet at the moment. Why? Because no one seems to have it. I did this training a few months ago, and you might think its a bit odd as hey, I'm disabled!! Yep, but I have absolutely no points of reference when it comes to blindness, deafness or learning difficulties so like most of us I'm fairly one dimensional in my viewpoint. Ok that's not true, I'm probably 2 dimensional as I know what its like to be AB'd anyway. So as part of my job, I go around asking shops and businesses if they have had any disability awareness training, and what do you think? Given that its available free to anyone who wants it Id have thought it would have been taken up more than it is. But no, no one in the whole of Eden seems to have had any disability awareness training whatsoever. This is major tourist country so it seems very short sighted to me that if you can increase the number of people coming into your business and also returning you'd do it, but no,.. seems people just cant be bothered.

The stock answer that I get all the time is " Oh its just common sense isn't it?" Er no.... IS THAT WHY YOU ARE SHOUTING AT ME BECAUSE IM IN A WHEELCHAIR? Of course I could have learning difficulties and need patronising even further, so YOU.....NEED.....TO......TALK......VERY.........SLOW-LY.........AS.........WELL? I am sometimes completely ignored by the person I'm trying to talk to because as I'm so obviously witless so they talk to my 'carer', this is usully my boss as my husband has the sense to wander off and pretend hes not with me!

So right there goes common sense flying out of the window along with that flock of pigs. But no one wants to take up the free training on offer. How crazy is that!?