A Practical Checklist for organisations involving people with disabilities as volunteers.

Actively encourage people with disabilities to volunteer through targeted promotion, and the use of appealing recruitment campaigns.

Overcome physical barriers to involving volunteers, eg buildings, transport, information, equipment, to be more accessible to every form of disability.

Be creative, and develop volunteering opportunities which can be carried out by people with disabilities.

Allow for flexible volunteering opportunities.

Train staff and volunteers in equal opportunities and disability awareness, so that myths and stereotyping do not lead to negative attitudes, or assumptions about what people can and cannot do.

Meet volunteers' needs and match them to tasks.

Make support available on an ongoing basis to the volunteers.

Pay out-of-pocket expenses, and give clear information around volunteering when on welfare benefits, so that fear of losing benefits does not become a barrier to volunteering.

Ask staff to remember that the person is a person first - the disability is second.

Follow good practice in the management of volunteers in all instances, eg volunteer policy, recruitment and selection, induction, training, support and supervision.

Have fully operational equal opportunities policies which encourage people with disabilities to volunteer, and to be involved effectively.

Source Volunteer Development Agency

Used with Permission