STAFF and councillors of Hyndburn Council have been trained in disability awareness training.

The one-hour, in-house sessions included training on disability etiquette, understanding visual impairment, hidden disabilities and deaf awareness.

The sessions were delivered by tutors from HearFirst, a workplace training and consultancy company.

Ivy Crossley, principal organisational development officer at Hyndburn Council, said: “The feedback we have received from members of staff about the sessions has been really positive and they have found them very useful.”

Jillian Sparrow, customer services contact centre officer, said: “I really enjoyed the training sessions and feel a lot more confident dealing with people who have a disability.”

Julie Ryder, director and founder of HearFirst, said: “Everyone who attended the sessions really engaged with our tutors and commented that they felt a lot more confident and knowledgeable about approaching someone with a disability.”