Learn With ESS, Manchester (2026)

01/06/2026

What a fantastic time it has been delivering so far on the Learn With ESS X Rochdale Sixth Form College enrichment programme for the Year 12 students 🙌

Over the course of four weeks, we’ve been working with the students to create experiences around awareness, inclusion, communication, empathy, and understanding through a mixture of practical activities, talks, workshops, and open conversations.

From practical walkthroughs in the shoes of someone with a disability, to masterclasses around concepts such as Braille and sign language, alongside Q&As with individuals who have overcome challenges and barriers in their own lives, it has been brilliant to see the engagement, curiosity, and confidence from the students grow week by week.

The energy, respect, and willingness to learn from the group has honestly been incredible, and we’re excited for the final weeks still to come 👏

A massive thank you to Nick Wood and the team at Rochdale Sixth Form College for organising and supporting such a powerful opportunity for the young people. We’re really looking forward to continuing the journey together.

28/05/2026

One of the most rewarding parts of delivering our workshops is hearing reflections like this afterwards.

Today at Carrs Pasties, Casey and Emma spoke about how the session had changed the way they view both customer interactions and the physical environment around them.

What stood out most was a simple but powerful point:
accessibility and inclusion are often about the small things.

A clearer walkway.
Moving an obstacle.
Communicating with more confidence.
Understanding how to offer support appropriately.
Taking an extra 30 seconds to help somebody feel comfortable.

Those small actions can completely change somebody’s experience.

So many people worry about “saying the wrong thing” or not knowing how to react in situations involving disability or difference. Our aim at Learn With ESS is not to create perfection — it’s to create confidence, awareness, empathy, and conversations that help people feel more comfortable supporting others.

When people leave a workshop and immediately start looking at their workplace, team, or customer experience differently, that’s where meaningful impact begins.

A massive thank you to Casey and Emma for their honesty and engagement throughout the session, and to the whole team at Carrs Pasties for continuing to embrace conversations around inclusion and accessibility. 👏

20/05/2026

Another brilliant couple of days spent with the amazing young people and staff at Revoe Learning Academy in Blackpool ❤️

Over the two days, we had the pleasure of working across every single year group in the school, starting with a whole-school assembly before bringing the messages to life through our practical and interactive workshops.

A huge focus throughout the sessions was around empathy, understanding others, and being proud of the person you are. From sensory activities and teamwork challenges to communication-based tasks and discussions, it was incredible to see the enthusiasm, energy, and confidence shown by all the students taking part.

A special mention has to go to the Learning Garden group, Revoe’s SEN provision. Spending time with such a fantastic group of young people was an absolute pleasure. Their positivity, engagement, and willingness to throw themselves into every activity made the sessions really special.

Massive thank you to all the staff for the warm welcome, support, and kindness across the visit. We genuinely felt part of the school community for the two days.

Already looking forward to hopefully seeing everybody again next year! ✨

18/05/2026

Words. That. Matter.

💚💙🧡

15/05/2026

Another lovely afternoon out in the community with Learn With ESS 😊

A huge thank you to everyone at The Fed and Heathlands Village in Prestwich for making us feel so welcome yesterday.

Heathlands Village, part of The Fed, is a fantastic community-focused setting supporting older people through residential, nursing and dementia care, whilst creating a space full of connection, warmth and positivity.

We had the pleasure of delivering an inspirational talk and Q&A session around challenges, resilience, disability, mindset and perspective, and the engagement and feedback throughout was brilliant.

The conversations, laughter and questions shared throughout the afternoon were exactly why I love doing this work.

A massive thank you to Lauren Rivkin for the introduction, and to Karen Ramsay and the wider team for having us. Hopefully this is just the beginning, and we’re looking forward to hopefully doing more together in the future ✨

14/05/2026

How often do we walk through familiar spaces without even thinking about it?

A corridor.
A door.
A handle.
A simple walk from one room to another.

For most people, it’s automatic.

But during our session with the team at Carrs Pasties, that quickly changed.

Blindfolds on. Cane in hand. Trust placed in communication, awareness, and guidance.

What was once a familiar corridor suddenly became uncertain. Every step required more concentration. Finding the door, locating the handle, holding the door open, and moving through the space confidently became a completely different experience.

And that’s exactly why these moments matter.

At Learn With ESS, we use practical experiences like this to help people better understand the everyday challenges many blind and visually impaired people navigate constantly.

Not for sympathy.
Not for pity.
But for perspective.

Because accessibility isn’t just about ramps and signs. It’s also about confidence, patience, communication, and creating environments where people feel supported and understood.

Massive credit to the team at Carrs Pasties for fully embracing the experience and stepping outside their comfort zones.

Changing how society offers a helping hand. 💛

11/05/2026

When people think about accessibility, the focus often goes straight to physical barriers.

But some of the biggest challenges people face are the ones you can’t always see.

The overthinking before walking into a new environment.
The mental exhaustion of constantly adapting.
The feeling of being left out of conversations, spaces, or experiences without anyone even realising.

Accessibility impacts far more than movement.

It impacts confidence, comfort, independence, belonging, and mental wellbeing too.

Many people aren’t asking for special treatment.

They simply want to feel included without having to mentally prepare themselves just to enter a space.

Creating accessible and inclusive environments isn’t only about ramps, lifts, or adjustments.
It’s also about awareness, communication, empathy, and understanding the invisible challenges people may carry every single day.

At Learn With ESS, these are the conversations we’re passionate about creating.

08/05/2026

A brilliant afternoon spent with the Masters in Audiology cohort at the University of Manchester as part of Deaf Awareness Week. 👂

Through a mix of practical activities, conversations, and communication challenges, we explored the importance of deaf awareness within the wider conversation around disability awareness and inclusion.

What made the session especially powerful is that these students will go on to work with and support members of the public every single day — testing hearing, supporting people with hearing loss, and helping individuals navigate life-changing moments.

But alongside the technical knowledge and clinical skills, communication, empathy, patience, and understanding are just as important.

Sometimes the biggest difference you can make to someone’s experience isn’t just through treatment or testing — it’s through making them feel listened to, understood, comfortable, and included.

A huge thank you to the whole cohort for fully embracing the session and creating such a positive atmosphere throughout. The future of accessibility and audiology is definitely in good hands. 🙌

06/05/2026

This Deaf Awareness Week, we wanted to create an experience that encouraged people to stop, reflect, and think differently about communication. 👂

With ear defenders on, students from the Masters in Audiology cohort at the University of Manchester were challenged to rely purely on lip reading, whilst their peers stood metres away reading phrases aloud.

What quickly became clear was just how much we take hearing and communication for granted.

Simple conversations suddenly became difficult. Words became unclear. Confidence dropped. Frustration grew. And yet for many deaf and hard of hearing individuals, navigating environments like this is part of everyday life.

At Learn With ESS, we believe disability awareness is about more than just learning definitions or statistics. It’s about creating experiences that build empathy, understanding, patience, and better communication.

Deaf awareness plays such an important role within the wider conversation around inclusion and accessibility. Sometimes the biggest barriers aren’t physical — they come from misunderstanding, assumptions, or people simply not knowing how to communicate effectively.

A huge thank you to the incredible Masters in Audiology cohort at the University of Manchester for fully embracing the session and throwing themselves into the challenge. The energy, engagement, and conversations throughout were absolutely brilliant. 🙌

05/05/2026

When you take one sense away, everything changes.

With blindfolds on and ear defenders in place, participants were asked to navigate simple tasks using audible equipment — but what felt simple quickly became disorienting. In those moments, you begin to understand just how much you rely on your senses without even realising it.

When you can’t see, your hearing sharpens. When you can’t hear, your vision takes over. Your awareness shifts, your communication changes, and your reliance on others becomes more intentional.

That’s where the real learning happens.

Because for many people, this isn’t a one-off activity — it’s everyday life. Experiences like this create space to reflect, build empathy, and better understand the challenges others may face.

It also leaves you with a simple but powerful thought — how often do we take our senses for granted?

At Learn With ESS, we’re passionate about creating experiences that challenge perspective, spark meaningful conversations, and ultimately change how society offers a helping hand.

Learn With ESS

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