Celebrating our Allied Health Professional colleagues
UK Disability History Month 2021 occurred from the 18th November until 18th December. At Aspiring Allies, we wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on the month and celebrate the Allied Health Professional colleagues who are either working or studying with a Disability or Long Term Condition.
What is UK Disability History Month?
UK Disability History Month was created to celebrate the lives of disabled people, now and in the past, to challenge disabilism and promote equality, diversity and inclusion. To read more, go to: https://ukdhm.org/
The Equality Act 2010 defines disability as ‘if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.”
The focus of this year’s campaign has been on hidden impairments and Disability, sex and relationships.
Individuals with a disability may question their ability to work within healthcare as an Allied Health Professional or the requirements of study and placements but what we have found by having conversations with our colleagues this month, is that their disability hasn’t stopped them and that with support from University and their workplaces, they are using their skills, knowledge and personal experiences to provide the best care to patients.
For many of the staff we spoke with, it was their disability that lead them to finding out about their profession – this may have been their Dietitian who supported them with tube feeding, their Occupational Therapist supporting them with adaptions to increase their independence or their physiotherapist who worked with them around exercises to manage pain.
By accessing the care and support from Allied Health Professionals in their own life and in managing their condition, it inspired them to pursue this career themselves.
Bianca and Rebecca share their experiences of studying and working as Allied Health Professionals, alongside having a disability or long term condition
