About Josh
Trainer. Writer. Educator.
01 — The story
Josh has spent 17 years working in theatre, live events, and education, and has an academic background in law.
He is the co-creator of the award-winning play ANIMAL, and has delivered training and consultancy across the arts, corporate, and public sectors.
My approach is honest, direct, and rooted in my lived experience. All of my sessions are grounded in the social model of disability, and use my day-to-day experiences as the raw material for discussion and debate. I cultivate a warm and welcoming environment, where questions are welcome and no discussion point is off the table.
02 — Why it works
Three things set the sessions apart.
01
Honest & direct
Working through real-life experiences and scenarios.
02
Social model grounding
The focus is on removing barriers in environments and systems, not expecting disabled people to adapt.
03
Lived experience
17 years of experience means scenarios come from the same world your staff work in.
03 — Why this work matters
Most poor experiences aren't caused by bad intentions.
Nearly 75% of disabled people report experiencing negative attitudes or behaviours (Disability Rights UK). However, most of this isn’t caused by bad intentions. It’s caused by fear and hesitation when staff want to help, but freeze because they’re scared of doing the wrong thing. I have been on the receiving end of this for my entire life: at box offices, in lifts, on trains. It’s why my training starts from real situations rather than policies and guidelines.
When staff feel confident to handle these situations, disabled customers can relax and simply be audience members, ticket holders and guests. Inclusion stops being a document or token, and integrates into your organisation.
For your staff
Practical tools reduce anxiety and equip your staff with the confidence to carry inclusion into every shift, not just around disability.
For your audiences
Disabled patrons can enter your venue knowing that they will receive calm, direct, human service, every time.
04 — Organisations Josh has worked with
