Are you considering a career working with people who have disabilities? There's a whole of host of ways in which you could develop a career in this area, depending on where your interests lie.
Visual impairment is a specific disability that you may have an interest in. It is a life changing experience. Taking our two-year Foundation Degree in Rehabilitation Work (Visual Impairment) would allow you to become a specialist who enables people who are blind or partially sighted to be as independent as possible in their day to day lives.
Often you will work with people who are at a crisis point in their lives. As a qualified Rehabilitation Worker, you develop a strength in problem solving and use this to respond to a person's unique and complex situation. You learn how to devise and implement individual training programmes based on the person's needs and aspirations.
Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) work with a people with a variety of disabilities that impair their communication, from people with learning disabilities like Down’s Syndrome through to those with physical disabilities that interfere with their ability to communicate or swallow. People who suffer a stroke often need the intervention of an SLT. Our Speech and Language Therapy course covers the management of speech, language, communication and swallowing needs in both children and adults allowing you to work with both on graduation.
Social Workers interact with people with disabilities, helping to ensure that vulnerable members of society have the support they need while ensuring their maximum possible independence. To do this you’ll get a range of experiences on placement which might include working in a day-care setting, for groups who require a few hours of attention daily, or in the community, carrying out assessments, developing care plans, identifying and responding to risk, managing complex caseloads and prioritising work, as well as delivering appropriate services. A degree in Social Work will teach you to develop and maintain the confidence of service users, such as those with a disability, protecting their rights, effectively promoting their interests and ensuring equality.
A vulnerable group you may wish to work with is people with special needs or disabilities. If so, you may want to consider Conductive Education. This path is ideal if you’re interested in both the health and education of people with disabilities. This course is unique in the UK and you would complete your degree as a qualified conductor. You would work with people with disabilities and neurological motor disorders, who may have had these conditions, such as Cerebral Palsy, from birth or may have developed them over time through multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s disease or having a stroke, for example. You would transform their lives by helping them to be as independent as possible. In addition to working with people as a conductor, you could also go on to do postgraduate teacher training in Primary and Early Years, specialising in special educational needs (SEN).
Learning disability nurses can make a difference in the lives of people with learning disabilities and their families. Accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), our course supports you in gaining hands-on clinical and care skills when working with people who have learning disabilities, ensuring that when you graduate as a qualified nurse, you are competently and confidently able to support people with learning disabilities when they need a professional by their side. You will develop an understanding of the health needs of people with learning disabilities and how to meet their needs by developing and implementing individualised care. Learning disability nurses work with children and adults of all ages and with all types of health condition, including mental health, so a degree in Learning Disability Nursing opens up a whole range of options for the future, allowing you choice about what area(s) you might specialise in as your career progresses.
Find out more at our open day
Learn more about how you could become key to the well-being of some of the most vulnerable members of society at our next open day. This is a great opportunity for you to find out more about our courses, meet our tutors, students and tour our facilities.
