REPORT of the DISABLED TEACHERS’ CONFERENCE 2013

HAMILTON HOUSE

LONDON

29 & 30 June 2013

Including:

-Report of Conference

-Participants’ Evaluations

-Equalities Monitoring Report

Page 1 of 22

PART ONE - CONFERENCE REPORT

The Disabled Teachers’ Conference 2013 (DTC) took place on Saturday 29and Sunday 30 Juneat Hamilton House and was attended by 32delegates from across the regions and Wales,including the President and members of the Executive.There was a 27% decrease in the number of delegates attending the conference compared with 2012.There is no clear explanation for the decrease but the possible reasons will be explored before organising next year’s event.

This was the Union’s second residential conference for disabled members, having been extended to a two-day event last year in response to a recommendation fromthe DTC in 2011. A quarter of the delegates were attending for the first time and the vast majority of delegates identifiedthemselves as disabled.

Mandy Hudson, holder of theExecutive Seat for disabled members, opened the conference and welcomed delegates. Anne Swift, Vice Chair of the NUT Education and Equalities Committee was introduced as the conference Chair. Ice breaker cards asking ‘where do you come from and what are your hopes for the event?’ were passed around for delegates to complete. See Appendix 1 for the answers.

A group discussion was held wherein delegates were asked to share their views on ‘which attitudes protect and empower disabled teachers’. The information was again added to cards so that they could be displayed after discussion. See Appendix 2 for what teachers said. A further discussion exercise was held after lunch, this time in pairs, with the question ‘what makes a good teacher?’ being considered. See Appendix 3 for their views.

Dr Lyn Haynes held a participatory forum based around her research into a project to better support disabled teachers. This was followed by a presentation from Lisa Caldwell of Teachers’ Assurance, who addressed the conference on the subject of planning financially for the future. Richard Rieser gave a pre-recorded talkabout the main difficulties currently facing disabled workers, along with some information about Disability History Month.

Delegatesparticipated in their choice of one of three workshops, on the subjects of:

  • Developing collective strategies in relation to teachers with mental health impairments
  • Celebrating Disability History Month in your school or division
  • Changes to SEN framework

After this delegates returned to the main hall where Anne Swift closed the conference and explained that there were further optional sessions available should they wish to attend. The optional sessions were:

  • Disabled Teachers and Democracy in the Union
  • Disability Leave – Policy and Practice
  • Well-being and Empowerment.

On the second day the President, Beth Davies, welcomed delegates back to the conference. Alex Kenny, Chair of the Education and Equalities Committee, chaired as delegates debated the motion proposed for Annual Conference 2014 (see page 4). Julie J Charles gave a presentation on the subject of ‘disabled teachers speaking for themselves’, before a panel discussion featuring NUT members Alice Johnson, who spoke about issues relating to getting into teaching and career progression; Colleen Johnson, who discussed teacher well-being and whether expectations of teachers are too high; and Paul Bishop, who offered advice about the Access to Work scheme.

Rosamund McNeil, Head of Education and Equalities, delivered closing remarks, thanked participants for their involvement and gave an update on some of the current work in which the Education and Equalities department are involved.

As part of the evaluation of the conference delegates were asked to say how they would describe the NUT Disabled Teachers’ Conference 2013 to disabled teachers who did not attend. Some examples of their responses are quoted throughout this report.

“Energising, invigorating and informative. A must in order to empower yourself and fight for your rights”

Motion to Annual Conference 2014

One motion was submitted to conference this year meaning there was no need for a voting process, although a debate was still held. The motion will be included on the agenda at NUT Annual Conference 2014.

Promoting Disability Equality

Conference notes with concern the on-going attacks on disabled people by the coalition government and certain sections of the media.

We look to the Union to support its disabled members who find themselves hardest hit by austerity cuts and the target of a scapegoat culture which, at worst, criminalises them.

We call on the National Executive to renew their efforts to show solidarity with disabled members by:

i.Undertaking a media campaign to counteract the lies told in the right wing media.

ii.Advertising the benefits of NUT membership for disabled teachers as widely as possible.

iii.Developing and delivering disability equality training which is available to all union members.

iv.Exploring the best ways of organising disabled members at school, association, division, regional and national level.

The above is to be accomplished by the time of Annual Conference 2015.

Delegates to TUC Disabled Workers’ Conference 2014

Three nominations were received by the deadlinefrom members wishing to represent the Union at the TUC Disabled Workers’ Conference in 2014. As there are four places available there was no need for an election and the following members were therefore nominated from the NUT Disabled Teachers’ Conference:

  • Nial Pickering– Liverpool
  • Louanne Sampson – Haringey
  • Jennie Digby– West Suffolk

In addition, Mandy Hudson will attend as the Executive Constituency Seat holder for disabled members and each region and Wales will nominate one delegate. The process will be co-ordinated by the Education and Equalities department in the autumn term.

Reasonable Adjustments

“All the staff worked very hard to provide access for all and ensure the delegates were looked after”

“Excellent provision for people with disabilities – I actually felt ‘normal’ for a few days”

The conference booking system included an adjustments form which asked delegates to provide access and adjustments information to enable staff to put the appropriate arrangements in place.

Examples of the adjustments that were made were:

  • Large font conference pack
  • Electronic conference pack
  • Sign language interpreters *
  • Hearing loop system
  • SoundField system
  • Refrigerator for storing medication
  • Seating plan adjustments to cater for visual impairments
  • Additional Facilities and Reception staff support
  • Accommodation and catering for carers
  • Use of accessible bedrooms in the hotel
  • Provision of vibrating fire alarm for hotel rooms
  • Extra thin pillows provided in hotel
  • Allocation of hotel room with shower or bath according to need
  • Allocation of hotel room on a lower floor in the hotel

* The two delegates who requested BSL interpreters did not attend on the day and gave no notice of this. The delegate’s associations will be made aware, as significant costs are incurred for BSL interpreters.

PART TWO - EVALUATION REPORT

“A really personal, positive conference with brilliant speakers and a supportive environment.”

The Disabled Teachers’ Conference 2013 (DTC) was attended by 32 delegates. A total of 28evaluation forms were received and four delegates did not return an evaluation form.

a) Overall experience

Of the 28 delegates who returned an evaluation form, 21 (75%) said that they had attended an NUT DTC before and 7 (25%) said they were attending for the first time.

17 delegates (61%) said that the conference exceeded their expectations and 10 delegates (36%) said the conference met their expectations. Only one delegate said their expectations were not really met.

b)Evaluation of the Programme

“Motion debate was superb. Well chaired and all were given the opportunity to speak. Both workshops were brilliant, really useful and able to be tailored to the audience”

“I came to the conference as a ‘new’ delegate and have been empowered and inspired by the stories and debates this weekend”

Delegates were asked to “comment on the contents of each of the following sessions, in terms of meeting expectations”. The following table shows the number of responses in each category for each session.

Exceeded / Met fully / Not really met / Not met at all / Don’t know
Speaker:
Dr Lyn Haynes / 4 / 6 / 9 / 6 / 2
Speaker:
Lisa Caldwell / 5 / 17 / 3
Speaker:
Richard Rieser / 8 / 13 / 3 / 1
Speaker:
Julie J Charles / 13 / 11 / 1 / 3
Debate on Motion to Annual Conference / 7 / 13 / 1
Group Discussion / 6 / 10 / 2
Workshop: Developing collective strategies in relation to teachers with mental health impairments – Dave Brinson / 2 / 8 / 1 / 1
Workshop: Celebrating Disability History Month in your school or division – Angie Travis and Paul Bishop / 3
Workshop: Changes to SEN Framework – Matthew Dodd, Council for Disabled Children / 5 / 6

Feedback about the conference programme was overwhelmingly positive. Several delegates mentioned the input of the panel and the inspiring and informative stories that they had to offer -“fantastic personal accounts/journeys by Alice, Colleen and panel”.

The President’s contribution to the conference was much appreciated, with comments such as, “good to see the President investing time and effort for the DTC”.

Remarks about the workshops and optional sessions were also very positive.Allan Gray’s session on well-being and empowerment was described as,“great, so supportive. It should be a compulsory session.”Dave Brinson’s workshop on developing collective strategies in relation to teachers with mental health impairments was received very well, with the vast majority of feedback showing delegates’ expectations were either exceeded or met fully. Angie Travis and Paul Bishop’s workshop on celebrating Disability History Month clearly helped raise awareness and inspired many delegates to make plans in their own schools and divisions.

Julie J Charles was a popular speaker with the many of delegates, prompting descriptions such as “useful and informative”and “a fantastic speaker”. Richard Rieser’s speech was also particularly appreciated – “fantastic to have innovative input from Richard”.

c)Conference Publicity

The following chart shows the ways in which delegates heard about the conference. It is evident that most new delegates attend for the first time when they are encouraged to do so by their local association/division either at a meeting or through direct contact. Email remains an effective way of promoting the event to teachers who have identified themselves as disabled and circulars have also proved useful.

As none of the first time delegates found out about the conference from the NUT website, we could look into ways of making it more visible, such as clear mention of the conference on the website’s home page in the run up to the event.

d)Facilities / Access

Delegates were asked if they had feedback on the accessibility of the conference and the comments about Hamilton House, the main venue, were on the whole positive. Twodelegates mentioned the temperature in Mander Hall, as difficulties had occurred getting it right for everyone.Some of the lifts were not functioning in Hamilton House as they are shut down on weekends and this is something which needs to be rectified for the next conference, for accessibility and safety reasons.It was recognised that NUT staff had worked hard to make the event accessible and accommodate the needs of all delegates.

ThePullman hotelon Euston Road was a great success, with many delegates commenting on the excellent facilities, good catering and helpful staff. It was also appreciated that the conference venue, hotel and train station were located close to each other.

e)Impact and Actions after the Conference

“I will inform staff at school about identifying themselves as disabled so that collectively with the Union we can fight for our rights as teachers”

“I will become more active in both acquiring knowledge and applying it in my role as equal opportunities officer in my local division.”

“I plan to do a whole school assembly to celebrate Disability History Month”

The delegates were asked, “Is there something that you plan to do or will do differently as a result of the conference?”

  • Many delegates commented that they wouldnow encourage other teachers to disclose their disabilities in order to raise awareness and collectively fight for their rights.
  • Five delegates said that they would become more active in their division or association.
  • Four delegates said they intend to organise events or activities for Disability History Month.
  • Three delegates stated they would be checking that their governing body or HR department is implementing the correct disability leave policies and procedures.
  • One delegate expressed their interest in attending National Conference and another volunteered to speak on the panel at DTC 2014.

Many delegates reportedthat they felt empowered and inspired by the conference and expressed their intention to help other disabled teachers.

f)Increasing attendance

“Gave me a feeling of solidarity – I am no longer alone!”

Delegates were asked to recommend ways in which more disabled teachers could be attracted to attend the conference.

  • Many delegates highlighted the importance of encouraging members to identify as disabled so that information about the conference could reach them directly.
  • Some delegates mentioned the role of local associations and divisions in spurring members to attend and that making the application process smoother could help.
  • Some delegates suggested asking disabled members their views on what topics they would like covered at the conference.
  • One delegate commented that weekends are difficult for some people and proposed that a weekend in half term might be better.
  • One delegate asked whether a regional or Stoke Rochford event could be held.
  • Other suggestions included making more use of social media to advertise the conference, putting more information and more advanced notice in the Teacher, putting stories from this year’s conference on the website, and continuing to make use of direct mailings, emails and leaflets.

g)Messages to other Disabled Teachers

Delegates were asked how they would describe the NUT Disabled Teachers’ Conference 2013 to disabled teachers who did not attend. Responses included:

  • “An opportunity missed! An amazing opportunity to share experiences, learn,

laugh, get mad and get active in your school”

  • “A chance to meet likeminded people, chat through your own situation and learn from the experience of speakers and members”
  • “A most valuable and informative experience”
  • “A supportive and interesting environment to share, learn and gain strength”
  • “A good way to network with other disabled members”
  • “They missed an opportunity to participate with like-minded and similarly-affected people in practical approaches to challenging the march of discrimination, prejudice and selfishness in our society”
  • “Uplifting and empowering”
  • “This is a conference that ALL disabled teachers should attend to learn about issues in equality faced as educators”
  • “Energising, invigorating and informative. A must in order to empower yourself and fight for your rights”
  • “Lots of resources and helpful information about disability”
  • “Cathartic, supportive, informative, friendly, caring/sharing – it helps to know other people’s stories”
  • “The most inspiring and empowering weekendof the year”
  • “An opportunity to meet new people, share personal stories and be involved in changes within education. A super weekend and would highly recommend the conference as a positive, rewarding experience”
  • “Totally inspiring and we are not alone! Many staff at the conference had individual stories and experiences that could be shared”
  • Informative, lots of important details about changes and rights. Reassuring and encouraging”

g)Additional comments

“Thoroughly enjoyed it and looking forward to coming again next year.”

Delegates made other comments throughout their evaluation forms and these are summarised below.

  • Several delegates expressed concern at the forthcoming changes to SEN framework and suggested information about this could be shared more widely.
  • Some delegates suggested encouraging more head teachers to attend so that they could share their views on supporting disabled teachers in the workplace.
  • Two delegates queried the application process and cost, commenting that having to go through associations sometimes made it difficult and that the cost was too high for teachers to cover themselves.
  • One delegate suggested the future use of a speech-to-text reporter, such as a Palantype system, to provide captioning for deaf delegates.
  • Three delegates said that the time allocated for the workshops was not long enough.

PART THREE - EQUALITIES MONITORING REPORT

The total number of monitoring forms received was 28. All responses given have been recorded here. Not all delegates who completed a monitoring form answered every question. Consequently, if the total number of responses to a question is less than 28, it should be assumed that the remaining delegates did not give a response to that question.