Erb’s Palsy Awareness Week
One of our KEITS Training Consultants, Lizzie, has been busy celebrating Erb’s Palsy, let’s hear what she had to say:
“During the last month we have had Erb’s Palsy Awareness Week. Most of the people reading this will have never heard of Erb’s Palsy and I was the same until meeting my partner a year and a half ago. Now Erb’s awareness is close to me as my partner has this condition and his family have been involved in the Erb’s Palsy Group for his whole life.
So what is Erb’s?
Erb’s Palsy (or Brachial Plexus Paralysis) is a partial or complete paralysis of the arm due to traumatic injury affecting one or all five of the primary nerves in the shoulder. Most often, the condition results from injuries during birth and, while some babies may recover on their own or with the help of physiotherapy, it can often lead to life-long disabilities. While this can have a huge impact on daily life and work, Erb’s can often be an ‘invisible disability’ meaning that it can be difficult to fight for the accommodations needed to make education and work accessible.
Awareness week..
The Erb’s Palsy Group CIO is the only UK based organisation offering advice, information and support to families affected by Erb’s Palsy. Their aim is to increase awareness and understanding of the condition through training events, fun days, and the annual Erb’s Palsy Awareness Week. This year, there have been coffee mornings, bake sales, talks at WI meetings and at hospitals, radio interviews, and the Erb’s group are running a challenge to walk 10000 steps every day in October. Outside of awareness week, the group work with schools to spread awareness of how Erb’s can affect young people (outside of just PE) and have even written a children’s book to help children with Erb’s explain the condition to their classmates.
It is important to acknowledge hidden disabilities such as Erb’s and as an organisation we can support employers to expand their understanding of hidden disabilities and consider how to accommodate different learners. In our teaching we support learners to expand their understanding of equality, diversity, and inclusion, and can encourage them to bring awareness and mindfulness into their work, whether working with colleagues, customers, or volunteers, to ensure their workplaces and services are accessible to all.”
You can find more information on the Erb Palsy’s website here: https://www.erbspalsygroup.org.uk/
Thank you to Lizzie for sharing her experience and helping raise awareness for this cause! Below are images of Lizzie and her partner completing the daily step challenge!
