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 possible from small businesses, or from businesses run by other disabled people.

To view our business plan for 2010 - 2011 click here.

Who are we?

Michelle Valentine - Director       

Michelle is the company's Director and principal consultant. 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:

• a member of the Equality and Human Rights Commission's Disability Committee

• Vice Chair of the Norfolk Police Independent Advisory Group

• a member of the Norfolk Area CPS Hate Crime Scrutiny Panel

• a member of the Federation of Small Businesses http://www.fsb.org.uk/

• a member of the Association of Disabled Professionals http://www.adp.org.uk/

• the Consumer Protection and Interest Co-Ordinator for the British Standards Institution - her brief is 'Design for All'. BSI website http://www.bsi-global.com/

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