The Disabled Staff Network at the University of Manchester are delighted to be working with Simon Haughton to deliver a lunch and learn session about ‘Unseen Aware’, a movement to help organisations and their staff to better understand unseen disabilities such as deafness, epilepsy, ADHD, autism etc.
The Unseen Aware movement is more than just training – it is designed in such a way to embed behaviour change over time.
Our?speaker Simon Houghton was born with a severe hearing loss. During the?pandemic, with everyone wearing masks, he struggled because of his need to lipread.?
Having had?several negative experiences when visiting ‘essential services’ during the?pandemic (Doctor Surgeries, Supermarkets, Opticians, Pharmacies etc.), he started the #WeSupportDeafAwareness campaign which?aims to help organisations and their staff better communicate with the deaf and?hard of hearing.?
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Since 12th?April 2021, over?410,000 employees have now been given?access to his training, and a range of organisations from FTSE100, NHS, Charities,?Trade Unions, emergency services and small companies have joined the?campaign.?
He has now launched a movement called Unseen Aware, which aims to remove the fear of talking about disability – and gives staff greater confidence when talking to someone who has a hidden disability or condition – such as autism, ADHD, hearing loss, fibromyalgia, EDS, MS, stammering for example.
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In this talk, he is going to discuss “masking”, and what we can do to help – and ultimately how we can become Unseen Disability Allies.
