A person is not disabled by their body and its perceived limitations, but by society’s attitude and limiting set of norms. By removing societal and environmental barriers, people with disability can be independent, equal and live with greater control over their own lives.
What is person-centered practice?
We are leading the way on person-centered practice, an approach to overcoming the societal barriers described in the Social Model of Disability. Person-centered practice discovers and acts on what is important to the individual. It is a ‘people’ first approach, strengthening the voice of the individual and those who know them best to define and achieve the changes they wish for their life. Our participants’ priorities guide everything we do and are the driving force behind the changes we seek to create in communities and workplaces.
Person-centered practice in the workplace
Employers may shy away from hiring people with disabilities due to perceptions that staff with disabilities may impact productivity, require increased supervision, or need expensive workplace modifications. EPIC is challenging these misperceptions, which are founded upon a ‘fear of the unknown’, by providing disability awareness and recruitment training for employers. In addition, we have trained Disability Confident Recruiters to assist employers in discovering an underutilised ‘talent pool’.
We believe it is possible to remove the artificial barriers created by misconceptions that limit so many people in our communities. Education sits at the centre of this change.