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About Disability Forward Limited


Our approach to work

As disabled people ourselves we know how important it is that real solutions come from disabled people working together, and supporting eachother to decide upon a positive way forward that suits everyone. It’s much easier to do this than you may think!

We also understand that disability equality issues are not the only things that organisations and businesses have to worry about. We all seem to have to meet more and more targets, whether you are a small business or large organisation, and it can sometimes seem impossible to meet the expectations placed upon you. Disabled people can feel frustrated as we face barriers in all areas of our lives and sometimes a small thing can be a real test.

So how can our approach help? We will come and have a chat with you, at no cost, to find out what the issues are for you, and come up with a proposal that we think will work for you.

Disability Forward also wants to support other small businesses, and we try to ensure that we source as much of our supplies and services as possilbe from small businesses, or from businesses run by other disabled people.

Who are we?


Michelle Valentine - Director        head and shoulders shot of Director michelle valentine

Michelle is the company's Director. She has experience of working in the public sector, the private sector and the voluntary sector. She has worked at the Disability Rights Commission for seven years, providng advice and guidance to a wide range of stakeholders on disability issues and has managed a wide range of partnership projects on disability equality issues.

Michelle has expertise in the following areas: 

  • Mental Health and employment/service issues
  • Providing advice to advice givers
  • Health and Safety and the DDA, including fire evacuation issues
  • Staff networks, effective involvement of disabled people and service users
  • Application of DDA in police, fire and prison service
  • Employment and service issues for small businesses
  • Making your information and marketing materials accessible to disabled people
  • Transport and disability
  • Strategic approaches to disability equality and the Disability Equality Duty
  • Training strategy and delivery mechanisms
  • Provider of disability equality, disability awareness and DDA training
  • Experience in European funded projects and European disability issues particularly employment
  • Accessible volunteering 
  • Accessible business start up and support services
  • Improving access to buildings and services
  • Strategic management of disabled staff, reasonable adjustments and support networks for managers
  • Equality impact assessment training
  • Individual case management


Michelle is also:

To dowload Michelle's full CV please click here

Here are some of the articles Michelle has written:

1. 'Planning the Achieve-able'  - in FRS 04

Click here to download article (PDF)

2. 'Asthma Suffers Stay on the Run' - in Alerter Dec 05

Click here to download article (PDF)

3. 'Doing the Duty' - in FRS Online

 

David McQuirk - Company Secretary and consultant      Head and Shoulders shot of Company Secretary David McQuirk

 

David is the Company Secretary and one of our consultants.
 

He has extensive experience of the public and private sectors. Like Michelle, he also worked at the Disability Rights Commission, for five years being responsible for parts of the finance function and business continuity. He was also the DRC’s specialist on emergency planning and disability, advising the emergency services, local authorities and other stakeholders organisations. He is also an emergency planner.

David has expertise in the following areas:

 
  • Health & Safety and the DDA, including fire evacuation issues
  • Business continuity, including vulnerability issues
  • Emergency service delivery to disabled people
  • Planning for vulnerable people within emergencies and disasters
 

David is also:

  • an Associate Member of the Emergency Planning Society
  • a Member of the Institute of Civil Defence and Disaster Studies
  • a Member of the Society of Industrial Emergency Service Officers

He also has been a member of Greater Manchester and the City of London Police Independent Advisory Groups

 

Articles

'Disabled People and Emergency Planning' from Blueprint issue 42 

 

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