Published: Tuesday, 15th September 2020
Borough council members recently took part in disability awareness training on Zoom.
The Disability Champion at the Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, Cllr Lesley Bambridge, has been working with the Local People project in West Norfolk which is funded by the People’s Health Trust and supported by Scope.
The Local People project gives local disabled people and unpaid carers the opportunity to take action on the issues that matter most to them, one of which is “increased awareness of disability in all its forms”.
Cllr Bambridge and a group of local people attending ‘Get Together’, run by Scope, decided the training would be a great way to help raise awareness of disability-related issues and make a difference to local people. “I undertook some training some time ago and knew that there was a lot to learn” said Cllr Bambridge. “I certainly learned more this time. We looked at barriers that disabled people have to contend with and follow up information provided by the two presenters, Rick Williams and Clare Cromarty from Freeney Williams, gave more insight into the potential and reasonable steps to eliminate or to minimise such barriers.”
Other councillors commented that the content was “useful and presented in a relaxed and interactive format” and “it will help me recognise barriers people have to deal with and how to help them overcome them”.
Sophie Pearson, Community Engagement Officer for the Local People project in West Norfolk, said: “I was pleased to see this piece of work take place despite the challenges presented by remote working. Lesley has been a great help in amplifying the voices of disabled people and unpaid carers in West Norfolk.
"We are glad this training will influence the way that our councillors work to be more accessible to their constituents and aware of the barriers disabled people face.”
As a result of this popular event Cllr Bambridge is hoping to arrange further disability awareness training for councillors.
If you are a disabled person or unpaid carer in West Norfolk who would like to get involved in the Local People project, please contact Sophie on Sophie.Pearson@scope.org.uk or 07776650890.