Workshops
» Touching Base Professional Disability Awareness Training for sex workers
Target Audience
This training programme is reserved for sex workers and sex industry staff only.
This respects the right of sex workers to protect their identity as they pursue their professional development in the company of their immediate peers.
Rationale
By developing the Professional Disability Awareness Training programme, the Touching Base Committee pursued two of the Key Recommendations from our 1st Forum - Training and Partnership.
Although many experienced sex workers may have provided services to clients with various disabilities, a lack of specific awareness or training has been identified as being an issue for some people with disabilities and many sex workers themselves. It has also been identified that some service providers may find themselves more able to support their carers to assist clients in accessing sexual services, if there are sex workers available who have received specific training on working with clients with a disability.
This training addresses several of the many barriers clients with disabilities, their carers and service providers may face when considering their options in accessing sexual services in NSW.
Goals
Progress the concept of professional training being made available to sex workers and sex industry staff who wish to gain greater awareness and skills in working with clients who may have a range of special needs
Assist sex workers and sex industry staff to challenge myths and prejudices they or their workplace may have regarding clients with disabilities
Inform participants of the diverse sexuality of people with disabilities
Educate participants on how discrimination may create barriers for people with disabilities to access the sexual lifestyles of their choice - including accessing sex workers and sex services premises
Inform on better practice for providing accessible services to people with disabilities
Inform on how to arrange services through a third party (personal care attendant, family member or friend of client, etc)
Outcomes / Objectives
Participants will gain knowledge and skills on how to increase the accessibility of their services/premises to people with disabilities
Participants will gain skills in working with clients with various disabilities - including mobility and communication impairments
Increased awareness and skills on a range of Occupational, Health and Safety issues
Increased awareness of the sexual rights of people with disabilities
Increased recognition of the rights of sex workers to have access to courses for professional development
Sex workers and people with disabilities will be empowered through their vital collaboration in the development and presentation of this training programme
Increase of the numbers of sex workers available for referrals through the Touching Base database of sex workers who have completed the Professional Disability Awareness Training
Increased networking and support for sex workers who see clients with disabilities
Evaluation
On completion of the training programme, sex workers will receive a Certificate of Attendance from the auspicing Registered Training Organisation Family Planning NSW (formerly FPA Health). Certificates are available to participants in their working and/or personal names, allowing sex workers to safeguard their anonymity.
In the future we hope to be able to offer Certificates of Attainment based on Competency Standards that are yet to be developed. When these standards are recognised by the Australian National Training Authority, they would be found a place within the Australian Qualifications Framework.
Outline
The course is run over two or three days and covers a range of topics from the following list:
Definitions of disability
History of people with disabilities
Values and attitudes
Communication
How sex workers can breakdown the myths and assumptions - peer discussion
Medical aspects
Access
Occupational health and safety
The role of parents and carers in the lives of people with disabilities
Legal issues
Psychological health and safety for workers
You can find a more in-depth Outline of this Training on the sex workers page of this website.