We are incredibly pleased to report the success that has followed the award of one of our Major Grants.
In 2019, Working It Out (WIO) were announced as the recipients of our second Major Grant round in partnership with Sidney Myer Fund. WIO received a $20,000 grant to develop training on LGBTQIA+ inclusive practices within disability support services.
Over the next two years, the training module was developed. What was initially planned as a face-to-face course, shifted to an eLearning module with the uptake of online learning in response to the pandemic.
WIO’s CEO Lynn Jarvis states, “This grant has enabled WIO not only to develop a fit-for-purpose resource for disability sector workers in Tasmania, but also to explore and become familiar with a relatively low-cost online eLearning platform which we can use to develop other training packages, and which allows us to offer this training nationwide.
The grant allowed us to ground our module in the lived experience of LGBTIAQ+ Tasmanians, which was really important to us. It also allowed us to touch base with a number of providers in the disability sector and beyond – we engaged with a number of organisations and individuals who had people with disabilities as their clients, meaning our reach was greater than just ‘disability sector workers’. We hope to continue to build on this initial engagement to further support inclusive practices for LGBTIAQ+ people with disabilities.”
Upon completion of the module, it was trialled in Semester 2 of 2021 within TasTAFE’s Certificate III Individual Support – Disability certificate.
Donna Venn, a teacher at TasTAFE in the Ageing Disability and Health Specialities sector explains, “This certificate enables future disability support workers to gain a nationally recognised qualification to equip them to support people with disabilities.”
The online learning module has been met with much enthusiasm by both the students and staff who were involved in trialling the disability training.
Donna comments that “Working It Out produced an exceptionally high quality product, tailored for disability support workers, on how to not only recognise diversity, but also how to enable people (with or without disabilities) to feel safe, respected and supported as individuals. The Introduction to LGBTQI+ Inclusive Practices e-learning module is designed to focus on key areas of LGBTQI+ culture and raise awareness. It does this by articulating the way people want to be represented and supported. It covers terminology, language and importantly what NOT to do when supporting people.”
“Feedback about the eLearning module has been very positive,” says Lynn Jarvis, “and we were particularly pleased to see that it met the needs of the sector we were aiming for. Whilst perhaps deceptively simple, the course applies sophisticated concepts of learning to engage learners both emotionally and intellectually. And while short, we hope it begins a journey for learners and organisations and that they continue to learn more about the LGBTIAQ+ people with disabilities.”
The trial was so successful, in fact, that the module has now been acquired by TasTAFE to be used ongoing within their disability support Certificate III.
“We trialed the e-learning module in Semester 2 last year. We received great feedback and have since purchased the module and embedded it into our online learning platform, Canvas. TasTAFE is committed to delivering high quality training that meets the needs of industry and this e-learning module ‘ticks all the boxes’!” says Donna Venn.
The acquisition not only validates the quality of the product WIO has produced, but also provides necessary funding for the module to be transformed into a licensable product and integrated in disability support training nation-wide.
Lynn Jarvis explains, “we provided the module free to TasTAFE students for 2021 as part of the grant. We then sold the course to TasTAFE for a small fee for their ongoing use. This fee has allowed us to upgrade the format of the eLearning module and pre-purchase licences which we can then offer others. We are planning to market the course nationally in the coming months.”
At Pride Foundation Australia, this is exactly the sort of outcome we hope for all of our Major Grant recipients. From an idea, to a product that will drastically improve the care received by LGBTQIA+ people with disabilities, we are pleased to have been able to play a part in the creation of this invaluable resource.
“This grant has opened up new doors for us as an organisation,” Lynn Jarvis states, “and I believe allowed us to create a product that can help address the great need LGBTIAQ+ people with disability have in this country. We are excited about where this takes us in the future.”
