SHINE: Shining a light on the ‘superpowers’ of adults living with disabilities and/or long term conditions.

SHINE is a peer support community for adults in the workplace with lived experience of disabilities and long term conditions.

We are based in Cumbria and currently have members across the county who are employed by both Cumbrian local authorities; Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council.

We are a group run by colleagues with disabilities and long term conditions for the benefit of our members, as well as to provide a resource library for anyone who wants to know more about how to effectively support colleagues in the workplace.

SHINE advocates for the Social Model of Disability to be at the heart of everything we do wherever possible.  In August 2014 the social model was endorsed by the Government Equalities Office who recommended the model for use by all government departments in the way they interact with disabled people.

According to the social model a person does not ‘have’ a disability – disability is something a person experiences. The disability experienced is often caused by the approach taken by society/individuals which fails to take account of people with disabilities and their associated needs. Unfortunately, this can result in these people being excluded from mainstream society. 

The social model of disability also focuses on people’s attitudes towards disability and recognises that attitudes towards disability can present barriers for disabled people in the same way the physical environment can. These attitudes are many and varied, ranging from prejudice and stereotyping, to unnecessary inflexible organisational practices and procedures and perhaps even seeing disabled people as objects of pity / charity.