Jane Cordell, the owner of 'Getting Equal' , an organisation focusing on Communication, Equality and Coaching asked Hormoz Ahmadzadeh from Result CIC, to work with her on a a new development programme commissioned by 'Breakthrough UK'.
The workshop which was delivered in October and November 2012, was aimed at representatives from local Disabled People's User Led Organisations (DPULO)s including:
Greater Manchester Coalition for Disabled People (GMCDP)
Consultant - DDRG - Disability Design Reference Group (public transport)
Stockport Primus Plus
Community reporters
Right to Control Design Team members
The workshop consisted of 3 group days followed by 1-1 coaching for each person the next day. It was designed to enable participants to become more self-aware first. It then looked at assertiveness, communication and negotiation skills to further enhance confidence in their capabilities. The group learning was highly interactive, with participants regularly learning from each other’s experience.
Jane Cordell said about the course: ‘The Breakthrough UK programme was bold and ambitious. The group brought together a diverse range of people with very different disabilities and life experience. It was astonishing to watch this talented group of individuals develop and progress so rapidly. It was almost as, for some of them, they had given themselves permission for the first time in their lives, to fully be who they wanted and use all of their considerable experience and skills. Both Hormoz and I found the experience of working with this group humbling and exciting. It was also interesting that we quite quickly got feedback from external contacts who worked with people on our programme. They noticed a marked positive change.’
The evaluation report from the course showed that on average the group saw over 20% improvement in the 5 learning outcomes over 2 months (6 days) of the programme. And 82% of the group improved on at least 4 out of 5 the learning outcomes.
More importantly, participants put learning into practice with tangible results: greater confidence in meetings and negotiations; starting new projects; making a greater impact on others at work; aspiring higher in their careers and being able to be more open and express feelings for the first time.