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Later this month, the university will launch a new mandatory e-learning course: Disability Awareness, which all staff will be required to complete. The course will be hosted on LearnUpon and will take approximately 1 hour.

Disability Awareness builds on the disability inclusion work already taking place at Sussex University, such as the Workplace Adjustments Toolkit and the outcomes of the Reasonable Adjustments Review Group (which was established to develop a more inclusive and accessible learning environment for students).

Who is the training for?

The Disability Awareness e-learning module is mandatory for all members of staff. The content is relevant for all staff at the University of Sussex, regardless of role.

Why is it mandatory?

The training replaces the optional Disability Essentials module and has been made mandatory to ensure all staff have a clear and consistent understanding of the University’s legal duties and collective responsibility to disabled colleagues, students and members of the public. This course is part of our proactive effort to strengthen awareness around disability inclusion and embed accessible and inclusive practice across our campus.

What will I learn?

The Disability Awareness training will help you develop a stronger understanding of disability inclusion, the barriers disabled people face, and the role we all play in creating a more accessible and inclusive university. You’ll learn about the social model of disability, how and when to make reasonable (or workplace) adjustments, and the legal responsibilities we all share under the Equality Act 2010. The course also explores inclusive language, the importance of anticipating the needs of disabled people, and practical ways to support both colleagues and students with a range of visible and non-visible impairments.

Further training

The mandatory training will be complemented by further optional participatory training for student-facing staff led by Faculty Wellbeing Consultants and the Student Disability Advice Team. This training will highlight key updates and process changes for student-facing staff in response to the work of the Reasonable Adjustments Review group. 

What next?

The course will be published on the 16^th of September on the LearnUpon platform. Please complete the e-learning module within one month of this date.