Peter Hartley, head of facilities and IT teacher

King Edward VI College, Stourbridge

Why did you become a teacher?

I went to university and did mathematics and I was always interested in teaching at that stage.

What do you like best about teaching?

It is the interactioin with the students and making sure they have a good learning experience.

Why did you join the NASUWT?

I think because in the college it was a very strong union and I wanted to be part of a big organisation in the college.

What activism roles are you involved in within the union?

I am the health and safety representative within the college and I have been doing that from 1995 onwards.

Why are you interested in disability issue and how they affect teachers and teaching?

Basically I became disabled while in my job. I have spinal muscular atrophy type 4. It would be classified as a muscular dystrophy.
I was mobile until about the year 2000 and it was after that I became more interested in disability issues, both from my own personal point of view and the perspective of others.

What barriers, if any do you believe teachers with disabilities face?

It is often physical barriers such as getting into classrooms, especially if you are wheelchair-bound is incredibly awkward. Most doors in schools were not designed for wheelchair users. AT my college we have not got any students in wheelchairs and we have not had some for several years. So there is not the onus on making some of the adjustments.

Could any more be done to help teachers with disabilities get into senior management positions if they wanted to.

Yes I think so there are barriers, most schools and colleges often think that disabled teachers will soct them money and they will be a burden in some way. But in my college, I haven’t experienced this at all.
I am on the college leadership team and have progressed near to the top so I would say my disability hasn’t prevented this.