It was one of those thankfully rare times where we as trainers must feel like frauds. The AODA Customer Service Standard clearly provided me with the objectives, content and materials to create the course. It's one of the easiest courses I've ever had to develop. But who am I to profess that I have an understanding of the challenges that a customer with an impairment lives with every day?
It was a wonderful volunteer who saved me. My new friend is on our Client Empowerment Council. She has lived a great deal of her life with Multiple Sclerosis, mobility dependent on her power wheelchair. She has proudly overcome addictions in her life, and still manages her diabetes.
When she graciously offered to commit to my training program, not only did I have the voice of real experience; I had an inspirational sidekick with whom I could build a fun and informative session with.
We've delivered dozens of sessions to hundreds of staff and we still laugh and play with participants while opening their eyes to real issues that our customers deal with.
So as we take the time this week to thank our volunteers, which I intend to do directly to my wonderful co-host this week, try to remember that volunteers can also contribute enormous knowledge gains to our efforts. And as my colleague and I schedule our third year of sessions, this personal experience reminds me that if you make it fun, the whole partnership is richer than you'll ever imagine.
As per our Social Media policy - the opinions and comments in this article represent those of the author and should not be considered representative of The Royal.
