Unstoppable Treat Me Right! team go digital

The Treat Me Right! team use their lived experience of learning disabilities and/or autism to train others to understand people’s rights to reasonable adjustments. Before the pandemic, all Treat Me Right! (TMR!) training was delivered in person, so COVID-19 had a considerable impact on the team.

With the support of Helen Cairns, our Treat Me Right Project Manager, and Anne Corrigan, Treat Me Right Trainer, the team moved online, using a variety of techniques to get to grips with the digital technology required to deliver training remotely. As a result, in the last year, TMR! trainers have been able to reach more people than ever – both externally and internally.

The services provided by the TMR! team include Learning Disability and Autism Awareness training, support with the production of accessible materials and expertise on how to work in with people with learning disabilities and/or who are autistic. In the last year, membership organisation Health Education England, railway company GTR and LGBTQ+ charity, Albert Kennedy Trust all benefitted from the team’s support.

Moving training online also gave the TMR! team the opportunity to train more Certitude staff. This included members of our Leadership Team, the Certitude Board, and colleagues across our central services, as well as support staff.

“Training more Certitude colleagues about learning disabilities and autism is something we wanted to do for some time,” says Helen Cairns. “The shift to digital delivery has made this possible and the organisation is seeing the benefits, as people who work here gain a deeper understanding of what it means to live with a learning disability and/or autism.”

Internal Communications Officer Daniel Sexton completed his training soon after he joined Certitude and said:

“As I was new to the sector and I didn’t know a lot about learning disabilities or autism, this was a great introduction. Helen and Anne were really engaging and I learned lots.”

For more information about Treat Me Right!, please contact Helen on TreatMeRight@certitude.london .