2016 has not been the easiest year for anyone. But if you are disabled, it has been particularly tough, with predominantly negative press not helping our morale. All three result CIC Directors are disabled. We describe ourselves as ‘confidently different’. And we believe in everyone’s potential to develop and be fulfilled. Self-belief and a positive mindset are vital for this. This is why we advocate taking every opportunity to celebrate when progress happens. So every year since we started the ‘Achieving your potential’ course for disabled staff at the University of Manchester, we have run a celebratory event with a disabled VIP speaker presenting certificates to our course graduates.

2016 was an especially sparkling occasion as we welcomed the wonderful Ruth Ibegbuna as our speaker. Founder and Director of the innovative, award- winning RECLAIM project charity for young people, Ruth has rarely talked about the disability she acquired as an adult. She captivated the group with her account of how she handled not just a major career change from teacher to charity leader, with no prior experience of all the issues involved – but also an unexpected diagnosis of a serious life-long health condition.



Ruth spoke of the process involved, including initial denial and eventual acceptance of the changes – both practical and emotional. At first reluctant to tell others about her condition, Ruth spoke of the personal power she felt when she started to share the information. She emphasized how important it is not to feel alone.

There was a lively question and answer session between Ruth and the group which covered matters such as how to achieve balance as a working disabled person and how mental and physical health issues can be inextricably linked. The key message was that you need to be kind to yourself, accepting of the things you cannot change and active in the areas you can.

Ruth presented certificates to participants on the course which consists of four one-day workshops and up to 5 individual coaching sessions. One participant summed up the course: ‘Life-changing. I am far better able to negotiate complex situations and plan future development’. Another said ‘Fantastic. It has really helped me develop as a valued member of staff.’

One important outcome of the course is that participants often choose to stay in touch and act as a network of mutual support. This was certainly true of this year's group. We would like to say a big thank you to Ruth Ibegbuna for joining us and to congratulate all our graduates. We wish them well with their future development!

If you are interested in running an ‘Achieving Your Potential’ course (which can be ILM-recognised), contact us.