July is Disability Pride Month, which has its origins in a single day event in Boston, Massachusetts, which was held to celebrate The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passing on July 26th 1990, to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities.

In the UK, Brighton Pride supported the first ever UK Disability Pride on 9th July 2017. Disability Pride is continuing to grow into a worldwide event.

Robert Gordon from the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts comments that Disability Pride

“is an opportunity to celebrate the disabled community and their achievements as well as starting conversations about barriers that people with disabilities face.”

Disability inclusion at Kent Wildlife Trust

Community Organising Assistant Jenny Luddington joined Kent Wildlife Trust last year on the Nextdoor Nature Project in Dover. She has always been interested in wildlife and conservation; however, comes from a community background rather than traditional conservation background. Jenny wasn’t going to apply for the role as she thought she wasn’t experienced enough. She also thought that as a person with neurological difficulties, who experiences challenges to accessing green spaces, that might present too many barriers to work for a wildlife charity.

However, when Jenny spoke to Elysia Barker-Davies, our wonderful Wilder Engagement Manager, she was encouraged to apply as her skills and experiences were seen as valuable.

Promoting accessibility is so important to the work we do at the Trust. We acknowledge that not everyone has equal access to nature, but all of us can benefit from developing a connection with nature and it is vital that we actively work to reduce barriers to participation and inclusion for staff, volunteers, and visitors.

Jenny has received support in a variety of ways including flexible working, a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) and trialling a seizure detection device for additional security when working in the community. She was also supported with transport issues until her Access to Work claim was put in place, without this additional support it would have been impossible for her to start. Jenny has also joined and been encouraged to be the co-chair for the Wildlife Trusts disability staff group, Nature For All.

Working in partnership

The Trust also acknowledges and values the expertise that people living with disabilities and organisations can bring to our work and we are keen to partner with groups and individuals to increase access to our reserves, our organisation and encourage people to take action for nature where they live and work.

One of our recent partnerships has been with Wild With Wheels, a group working in Folkestone & Dover to increase access to nature through accessible nature experiences for people with mobility scooters, wheelchair users and other disabled people. Gini Mitchell from Wild With Wheels talks about her commitment and passion to increase nature accessibility. Gini says;

“I have a progressive neuromuscular condition, which means I can only walk short distances using mobility aids. Also as a lifelong lover of the great outdoors, I was desperate to get muddy again. When I realised that I could use my mobility scooters to explore the countryside, I began researching accessible trails and Wild With Wheels was born in May 2022.”

Community Organisers Jade & Jenny helped work in partnership with Wild With Wheels to facilitate a visit to Dover Castle to visit the chough aviary. Walk leader Tamsin describes their visit;

“Dover castle is steeped in history, wildlife, flora, and fauna and it has been supporting the amazing project of the reintroduction of choughs to the White Cliffs of Dover. We took a scoot from our meeting point at the lower car park down the road towards the choughs which are housed in an aviary on the old hospital grounds opposite the fire command post. Then we spent time learning all about the project from one of the castle staff that volunteers his time to care for the chough.”

Wilder Wellbeing

At Kent Wildlife Trust, we also offer our Wilder Wellbeing programmes, designed for individuals who are experiencing or living with mental or physical health conditions. These are six week programmes (two hours a week for six consecutive weeks, for the same group of participants), where mindfulness in nature is used to facilitate improvement to participants wellbeing. The Five Ways to Wellbeing form the core of the sessions, in an accessible and gentle way suited to the access needs of the group. The programmes take place at some of our more accessible nature reserves, with more details found here:

Marketing

Kent Wildlife Trust are also looking at how we communicate with the wider public as Digital Marketing Manager, Natasha Aidinyantz explains;

In the marketing department, we’re always conscious of different abilities when designing graphics and content. But this year, with a new digital push, we’re going to focus on making our website more friendly to people who use words to see and hear. This means uploading transcription files to our YouTube videos and ensuring there are alt-tags on all of our images – website, email and beyond. It also means being more descriptive with our links. We also hope to move towards a more accessible website in the future and plans are already underway for this.

It may take some time to update images and videos of the past so please bear with us. If you have a suggestion for how we can further improve our digital experience and make it more friendly for all abilities, please email us.

Commitment to disability and inclusion

Kent Wildlife trust is committed to working for inclusion for all including people with disabilities, with the aim to become a more inclusive organisation.

Over the past few years, we have been developing an Equality, Diversity, Inclusivity, and Belonging (EDIB) Action Plan and Strategy. This year, we will finalise the plan and embark on meaningful actions that involve the entire organisation, moving beyond the exceptional, but isolated, efforts of passionate teams and individuals. Our focus will be on empowering both our leadership team and the EDIB group to drive significant improvements for all marginalised and traditionally excluded groups.

The actions we will be taking include:

1. Ensuring the collection and reporting of relevant demographic data for existing staff, new hires, and job applicants at the Trust. This will enable us to identify any disparities in recruitment and proactively address them. Our goal is to continue working towards an inclusive and diverse recruitment process, ensuring that the best candidates are aware of each job opportunity and feel encouraged to apply. Note: This recruitment data will only be made accessible to the hiring manager during the interview stage, and only with the applicant’s permission, further enhancing the inclusiveness of the application process.
2. Directing new and existing staff to the staff networks offered by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, including Nature for All (for those living with a disability).
3. Supporting our wonderful HR team with ideas, expertise and capacity to assist with the creation of new policies, e.g. Disability Passports and PEEPs.
4. Developing a collection of resources and user guides for staff and managers to effectively engage with, manage, and work alongside minority groups.
5. Incorporating inclusivity training into the mandatory training requirements for all staff. By integrating this training into our staff development programs, we aim to raise awareness, enhance knowledge, and cultivate a more inclusive work environment.
6. We have a number of members of staff trained in Mental Health First Aid, which includes being able to recognise the signs and symptoms of someone in crisis or experiencing mental ill health, and how to effectively listen to and signpost that individual to support.

In the coming months, we will prioritise hiring an EDIB consultant to review our policies and provide guidance on further enhancing inclusivity at the Trust. This consultant will help us implement best practices and ensure that our commitment to inclusivity is upheld.

By taking these actions, Kent Wildlife Trust is dedicated to creating a more inclusive organisation, supporting disabled communities, and fostering an environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute. Together, we can make a significant impact on the conservation field and build a future that embraces diversity and equality.

References

• Disability Pride Brighton - A celebration for and of all people with disabilities
• Understanding Disability Pride Month - Very Well Mind
• About - Disability Pride UK
• Accessibility - The Wildlife Trusts
• Accessible nature activities in Kent - Wild with Wheels 
• Meeting the Choughs at Dover Castle - Wild With Wheels

Co-authors: Jenny Luddington, Gini Mitchell