Instructor: Fran Odette
Live Online via Zoom
Description:
Why are disability inclusion and awareness important? Disabilities come in many forms—visible, hidden, permanent, temporary, and intermittent. They can result from illness, injury, or age-related conditions, and can impact individuals in various ways. By learning how to create and adapt environments that offer equal access for individuals with disabilities, you ensure service availability to all people, regardless of their abilities.
Over time, there has been an increase in service users accessing shelter services, many of whom are individuals with visible or invisible disabilities. A report released by Statistics Canada in 2022 stated that over 28% of Ontarians aged 15 and over report having a disability, including individuals with undiagnosed mental health conditions or addictions.
Building on the content from IDEA TC’s previous “More Than Just Ramps” workshop, Practical Application of AODA Standards is designed to help agency staff identify and address unconscious biases and the disabling impacts of physical, environmental, and attitudinal barriers that people with disabilities face in shelter and agency settings. The training aims to equip frontline staff, management, senior leaders, volunteers, and board members with an intersectional anti-oppression framework for working with people with disabilities and practical applications of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Standards.
Learning Objectives:
1. Learn how to recognize signs that someone may be contemplating suicide.
2. Gain the skills necessary to intervene effectively when someone is at risk of suicide.
3. Understand how to create a safety plan in collaboration with a person at risk and connect them to further support.
4. Explore how personal and community attitudes about suicide influence the willingness to seek help and the ability to intervene.
5. Enhance their overall counseling and listening skills in the context of suicide intervention.
Learning Outcomes:
1. Be able to identify when someone may be considering suicide and take immediate action to intervene.
2. Feel more confident and prepared to provide suicide first aid to individuals in crisis.
3. Understand the importance of a safety plan and how to work with individuals to develop one.
4. Be more aware of how their own attitudes toward suicide, as well as societal views, can impact their ability to help others.
5. Have increased skills in counseling and listening that can be applied to other professional and personal contexts.
