The five week course will kick-off next month and is for woman over the age of 18. 

It’s run by People with Disability Australia and is the first time it will be held in Nowra. 

“We are excited to bring our innovative training to Nowra in March, and want all women with learning disability to be able to come along and learn from other women with disability,” Polly Seymour, Project Officer, Violence Prevention, People with Disability Australia said. 

“Unfortunately, we know that women with disability experience much higher rates of violence and abuse than non-disabled women, particularly women with learning disability, such as Down Syndrome, Autism and intellectual disability.”

“They often miss out on accessible information about what makes a good relationship, what is consent and how to identify abuse.”

The training will run for five sessions and focuses on learning about relationships, consent, domestic violence, sexual assault awareness and sexual education.

One session is included with the local women’s health centre to discuss sexual health, and answer any questions in a safe and supportive environment.

“This training has been designed by women with disability, for women with disability to make sure that they know what a respectful and healthy relationship looks and feels like,” Ms Seymour said. 

“These peer educators bring their skills, expertise and knowledge about healthy relationships to their peers.”

Peer educator, Chloe Kearns, is looking forward to talking with other women with learning disability about these important issues.

“We have worked hard to make sure this training covers what other women with disability need to know about their relationships,” she said. 

“It’s good to have women with learning disability talking about this because we are the ones who really understand. We have also made sure that all the training material is accessible and in easy read format.”

The training will begin on Thursday, March 21 and run until Thursday, April 18 at Nowra Library. It will run from 10am to 4pm.

More information and registration details can be found here.