Our Trainers
Back to Disability Equality Training
Our Trainers have varied backgrounds and experiences and draw upon these to give participants insightful, interesting and exciting training. If you are interested in becoming a Disability Equality Trainer, please look at our Training Opportunities.
Andy Crowe
Essex Coalition of Disabled People
Andy Crowe has been a service user for over twenty years. Through his training he passes on his experience from a user's perspective, empathising and empowering fellow service users, and enlightening those new to the disability movement.
Andy has studied Business and Finance at BTEC level and went on to achieve a 2:1 BSC (Hons) in Multimedia Systems at Anglia Polytechnic University. Through his studies, he has become very interested in Assistive Technology and has a detailed knowledge of how technology can assist disabled people.
Andy has been involved with ECDP for a number of years and is currently a Direct Payment Support Service Advisor.
Ann Nutt
Honorary Secretary of ECDP
Following a serious illness, Ann became involved in a voluntary capacity with Essex Social Services and the local Voluntary Sector.
Over the past 25 years, Ann has chaired the local Council for Voluntary Services, the local Homestart, Shopmobility, and Volunteer Bureau and sat on various committees. She is also a senior advisor with the Citizens Advice Bureau with a particular interest in benefits, often being called upon to make home visits.
Ann has an extensive training background and a particular interest in legislation. She is currently studying to become a Disability Equality Practitioner through ECDP and Anglia Ruskin University.
Bob Jamieson
Vice Chair of Essex Coalition of Disabled People
With first hand experience of Special Education and Residential Care, Bob is a great believer in Independent Living and Personal Assistants, and has been an active Campaigner within the disability movement most of his life.
Bob Co Chairs the Essex Direct Payment Users Network, and is one of the original members of Essex Coalition of Disabled People, fulfilling the role of Vice Chair for the past 3 years. Along with colleagues Bob has sought to increase choice & control for disabled people in Essex; as well as influence local & national policy, particularly around direct payments.
Bob’s training forte is in demonstrating a user led approach and assisting disabled people to understand their rights and entitlements.
Brian Mister
Essex Coalition of Disabled People
Brian Mister became interested in Disability Equality Training (DET) through his role as a Director/Trustee of ECDP. Through DET training he not only realised that he had a lot to learn, but it also gave him the confidence to challenge and to teach others.
Brian has since delivered DET to ECC Social Services, Suffolk County Council Social Services, Thurrock County Council, Papworth Trust, IVS clients, health trusts and local sports clubs. He has also delivered talks and discussion on the principles of Independent Living and the Social Model of Disability to groups including Chelmsford TUC, Chelmsford Blind Club, a local police group and Chelmsford Borough Council.
Brian also brings to his training, skills he acquired prior to becoming disabled in Management, Sales, Marketing and various other business criteria. He was also a police officer for 11 years, spent 4 years as a CID Officer and attached to the MOD (Ministry of Defence) for nearly 2 and a half years.
Brian is a former Chair and a Director/ Trustee of ECDP, and has led on many of ECDP’s initiatives. He is a Regional Representative for EDCP (Chelmsford area) and Chairs the reps forum. “All that I do, I do as a representative of ECDP.”
Brian considers DET as one of the best ways of bringing ECDP to the attention of all concerned, be it the private sector, statutory authorities, staff, volunteers and service users.
Julia Winter
Liberation Partnership
Julia originally qualified as a registered nurse in 1986 and worked in the NHS for ten years, before making the transition into sales and marketing. Julia then commenced employment for British Telecom as an Account Manager where she worked on national accounts for five years before being medically retired in 1996.
Julia returned to work in 2005 as the Manager of the Direct Payment Support Service at ECDP, leaving in 2007 to oversee the initiation of Liberation Partnership.
During her time away from paid work, Julia was extensively involved in voluntary work. This included the Disabled Parents Network, where she was a trustee and set up and ran their national helpline for five years. More recently, for two years she held the position of trustee for Essex Coalition of Disabled People, before resigning to enable her to recommence paid employment.
Julia has also achieved accredited Disability Equality Trainer status through Essex Coalition of Disabled People. Since 2003 she has delivered Disability Equality Training to clients including Local Authorities, the Community/Voluntary Sector, Private Companies, Human Resources Professionals and Social Care Staff.
Natalie Meadows
Essex Coalition of Disabled People
Natalie has been disabled all her life and has been working within the disability arena for many years.
She came to Colchester in 1990 to do a BA in Politics at Essex University. She began working for ECDP as a Disability Equality Trainer in 1999. In August 2000 she began work as the Coordinator for the newly formed Essex PASS and then from 2002 worked as the Equalities Development Training Officer where she was involved in securing various training commissions including Disability Equality in Education. She has been involved in training for the Protection Of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) policy and also Disability Equality in Education. She is also involved in empowerment work with the residents of SCOPE residential homes in North Essex.
In 2006 she left ECDP to become a full time parent and is now taking on small pieces of work on behalf of the Coalition. In her spare time she enjoys surfing (the internet) and caring for her retired Assistance Dog.
Rosalind Lawless BA (Hons)
1st Voice Solutions
Rosalind Lawless originally worked within Buying and Customer Care Departments. Unemployment in 1997 led to extensive re-training in Dragon NaturallySpeaking® speech recognition software and IT, Training and NVQ Assessor Qualifications. She returned to work in 1999.
2000 saw the establishment of 1st Voice Solutions, which supplies Dragon NaturallySpeaking® speech recognition software and European Award winning training, for disabled and non disabled clients.
Subsequent diversification led Rosalind to achieve accredited Disability Equality Trainer status through Essex Coalition of Disabled People. Since 2003 she has delivered Disability Equality Training to clients including Local Authorities, the Community/Voluntary Sector, Private Companies, Human Resources Professionals and Social Care Staff.
These programmes are customised to clients needs’ and designed to provide training in a relaxed manner, employing practical knowledge, empathy and an understanding of employers/employees perspectives. They seek to dispel some of the myths and fears that can surround Disabled People’s issues and to assist clients to understand their legal requirements; particularly regarding The Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
Access issues are always uppermost in planning courses and all training provided is supported by comprehensive delegates’ notes and a variety of training methods are used.
Stephen Rouse
Essex Coalition of Disabled People
Steve has been an employer of Personal Assistants for many years which has equipped him with valuable life experience and an in-depth knowledge of direct payments and independent living principles.
In Steve’s professional life he has held various voluntary roles within a community setting, as well as managing Barking and Dagenham Independent Living Agency for a number of years.
Steve became a Disability Equality Trainer for Essex Coalition of Disabled People (ECDP) in 2001, after 20 years of campaigning, developing and delivering education and personal improvement programmes.
Steve is currently studying to become a Disability Equality Practitioner.
