About this resource
Knowing what to expect from support workers helps people speak up. This Easy Read guide explains what support workers do, what they do not do, how they should treat you and what to do if you are not happy, with space to add your own notes.
Purpose
To help people understand the support worker role and their rights.
Who it is for
Primary profession: Disability support workers. Also relevant for NDIS providers and support coordinators.
Client or participant group: People receiving support, including people with intellectual disability.
Practice setting: Home, supported living and day programs.
Suggested uses
- New supports
- Onboarding
- Self-advocacy
- Rights education
Instructions for practitioners
- Go through it at the person's pace.
- Add details of your service's complaints process.
- Respect feedback.
- Review regularly.
Instructions for clients or participants
- Read with someone you trust.
- Think about your support.
- Speak up if something is not right.
Accessibility considerations
Easy Read layout with one idea per line and symbols. Should be user tested with people with intellectual disability.
Scope and limitations
General Easy Read information. Add your organisation's details.
Research basis
Active support, which gives people real opportunities and just-enough help to take part in everyday activities, increases engagement for people with intellectual disability. Human rights frameworks and research on the dignity of risk support people's right to make their own choices, including choices that involve some risk. Easy Read standards and disability rights frameworks support people's right to accessible information; test Easy Read materials with the people who will use them.
- Ibrahim, J. E., & Davis, M. (2013). Impediments to applying the ‘dignity of risk’ principle in residential aged care services. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 32(3), 188–193. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajag.12014
- Inclusion Europe. (2009). Information for all: European standards for making information easy to read and understand. https://www.inclusion-europe.eu/easy-to-read-standards-guidelines/
- Mansell, J., & Beadle-Brown, J. (2012). Active support: Enabling and empowering people with intellectual disabilities. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
- United Nations. (2006). Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-persons-disabilities
What is included
A 3-page printable A4 PDF, including a practitioner notes page with the research basis (version 1.0).
Originality
Original Practitioner Plus content: wording, activity structure, layout and icons were created for this resource. No third-party worksheets, illustrations or text were reproduced. Symbols are original line drawings created for Practitioner Plus.
