1. We wholeheartedly believe in the talent, resourcefulness and wisdom of disabled people.

A medical condition or neurodiversity can influence the way a person thinks and takes action - and we celebrate this! Coaching provides a safe and constructive thinking space so the person being coached can formulate strategies for success based on their unique skills and qualities.

2. Our coaching approach is non-directive, and this means we don’t give advice.

Scientifically-robust coaching studies show that developing the ability to formulate decisions from within your own thinking, is more effective than following the advice of others.

Advice can be useful in the short-term, but the person acting upon the advice is different, and the context or timeline will be different too. This means the suitability of advice is varies. Learning how to design strategies for success based on your own thinking is incredibly empowering, and it can build self-belief and confidence too.

3. We can adapt to any learning style.

We have many coaching methods and techniques that we bring to our work, and we use these flexibly to meet the learning style of the individual.

Here’s some examples of ways we can work together:

• We can work intuitively via an open exploration of thinking, and without a defined structure, often referred to as person-centred. This can be useful for people that don’t like to work within defined rules or guidelines in order to work towards their goal.

  OR

• We can work with a structured and more solutions-focused approach. This can be useful for people that prefer to know what to expect from the coaching session and package, in order to open up and trust the process.

  OR

• We can get creative, work with data and analysis, use pen and paper exercises for those that learn best by doing, work with movement and the body for those that think best when away from their desk. The list is endless and we work with each individual to find the style (or blend of styles) that best suits them.

4. We can work with any goal, and we understand intersectionality.

Coaching in its purest sense is about the bridging of a gap between where the person being coached is now, and where they would like to be instead.

For those with a newly acquired disability, it can be a difficult and confusing time, grappling with the change, grieving old ways of working and learning how to adapt to different ways of working due to a medical condition.

For those already experienced with disability, the demands of a new role, team or working environment can present new barriers to existing ways of working.

Our coaches have lived experience of disability and understand intersectionality. So, whilst they specialise in working with topics and goals relevant to disability, they also know that a goal or barrier will not always be about disability.

5. We understand disability can cause minority stress.

Minority stress is something that a minority group has to contend with, that other groups of people do not. Unfortunately, a majority of non-disabled people still think about and respond to disability using the Medical Model of Disability or the Charity Model of Disability.

The Medical Model is based on the premise that a disabled person is broken and in need of fixing. So, people often give unsolicited advice that is irrelevant and unhelpful. Although well-meaning, advice such as this can feel minimising and infer the disabled person isn’t resourceful or trying hard enough. The Charity Model identifies disabled people as victims to a problem and objects of pity, instead of people with agency and dignity.

Situations arising from the misuse of the medical and charity models in the workplace can be stressful and isolating to a disabled person. They can cause relationship stress that non-disabled people don’t experience and inhibit feelings of psychological safety and belonging. This is why we also work with non-disabled people, to alleviate the challenges of disability in the workplace from all perspectives.