Campaign for Disability Awareness Lessons (CFDA) – The aim of CFDA is to raise more awareness around the issues of disability within schools and to make disability awareness lessons part of the mainstream school curriculum.
Sharon Tiday, whose 11 year old son has High Functioning Autism, co-founded the group with Louise Steer whose daughter, also aged 11 has epilepsy. Autism Daily Newscast last reported on the campaign back in May and can be read here
On Wednesday June 18, Sharon together with Michelle Fallick from CFDA were interviewed at Dame Hannah Rodgers Trust for the radio show, Access All Areas. The Trust state on their website:
‘Our mission is simple: to empower, advocate and enrich the lives of children and adults with disabilities.’
Sharon and Michelle discussed their campaign and the need for more education about disability in mainstream schools.
Sharon told:
“There has been a lot of improvements and a lot more support now but there is still so much ignorance in society, you’ve only got to pick up a newspaper or watch tv and you can see it for yourself every day”
Michelle, whose son is on the autistic spectrum and who attends a specialist school told of how they want the campaign to go into schools. They hope to run assembly presentations with guest speakers who are disabled so as to show the children the many benefits and positives of living with a disability.
“We want people to look past the disability.”
They also add that they want to change the way that people look at disability and for children to better understand disabled children.
“children need knowledge….if they knew from a young age that a child’s got this problem but that they are still the same as you, they think the same, they play the same…they would see past it.”
You can listen to the full interview below.
At present the campaign has over 3000 members.
You can follow the campaign on twitter and Facebook.