Saturday 23 September 2023

Disability, education and employment

In my life and I believe I am not alone, I found most employers do not understand learning disability, mental illness or and other problems. Not everyone takes notice of the disability discrimination act in the UK, not sure about other countries. Again better was now but we still have a long way to go, still life goes on. We are still health and safety hazard to lot of employers, not that I am saying that is wrong to protect our safety but there still should be ways of us having a career like other people, with right tools and support of course that cost money that UK government just hasn’t got, without making the country worse off, I would interested how this works for other countries, surely we are not alone. We need the right support to keep healthy and safe to work in our limits of our disabilities, mental illness and other conditions, problems and more. Employers, trainers and the government etc ; need learning disability and mental health awareness training. Not everyone can work IT, the internet etc but not everyone can manage factory work either . In my youth for example the government would put you just anywhere with or any, very little support to get us doing something, I no problem doing what I could do or learn to do, which was not a lot to start with. Six weeks training on YTS for example wasn’t enough time for me to learn a job, where they ended up getting rid of me, cause they just did not have the patience. I guess when I think about it now some reasons in some things I tried, which weren’t to be, was the field I was in and others were the people. At the time, because I was very young, I just got frustrated where everything was trying was not a success but I could not see the wood through the trees. I tried elderly people’s homes, Day centers, supermarkets, a shop a hospice, riding stable’s with other animals as well as horses and ponies, the library which like the work and the people, which was a living in job. I did and passed my stable management exams, I tried to pick on what I did not do good at in schools English, maths etc. On the other hand I was put in some fields not for me, even then I weren’t in the right fields and places. My Mother lives in New York and they go by what people are capable of and what they take interest in and they can learn and train for. However’ things did improve for me as time went like working Men-cap I enjoyed, raising awareness of disability and mental health, Advocate, speaking up for disability and mental health. This gave me experience of working in Advocacy groups. I learned how present information in power point, passed my ITQ level in Microsoft Office 2007, in power point and word processing, ITQ Level two internet and email. It taught me to give talks to student professors such as learning disability, mental health nurses, social workers, paramedics and more as Visiting Lecturer. I have also been a private Advocacy for what was One Voice, Wolverhampton. Interdiction to Advocacy skills GATACS2014 (Generic Advocacy Training and Consultancy Services) qualification. Suggesting options to people with disabilities on matters that bother then or need help with. Example; benefits, getting a disability bus pass etc. Volunteer trainee Teaching Assistant Penn Hall special day school. Malt-ins Day Centre Wolverhampton for Elderly and Disabled people. Work, making hot and cold drinks. Key skills PowerPoint, chairing minutes of meetings, supporting disabled people to chair meetings, communication, time management and IT skills. Highest English qualification, English Function skills Level one. Interduction to Mentoring skills, Level one and two Mentoring. The government spends money on the wrong things. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. The benefits system has always been a mess, there a lot people on benefits who should not be as well those who are on them for good reasons. Most of one’s who should not could work but do not want to yet the ones who are on them for good reasons want to work. If you are involved learning disability and mental health, whether you are someone who faces disability, mental illness or and other problems, illnesses conditions etc or and you are a parent, partner, family member, friends, support worker, carer, nurse, school staff, children, teenagers, young adults ; etc who support and doctor, paramedic, teacher, tutor, lecturer, employer office, etc, my email is sarajgorman@gmail.com if you wish to get touch, on anything you may have read what I have written or and maybe you have in my lectures at the University Of Wolverhampton or involved in work I have done for Mencap or anywhere else in the disability and health field etc. I lecture things, like accessible information, easy read we need to avoid too much jargon etc, you may need thing like Brail for the blind sign language courses to help you support . The could be more. You need to balance what they person might have done already, what they want to, what they can do and even what they want to learn to do. Consider health and safe as well qualifications they have and what they need in what they want to do. Careers for disabilities. Eg; creative jobs, such as writers, artists, poets band more; mentoring, coaching, counseling, Advocacy, , office, Administrative etc is likely to be for people with physical conditions, disabilities etc. Those who haven’t got physical disabilities, conditions etc, maybe shop work, cleaning, building, gardening etc. https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/career-and-job-support-for-people-with-a-disability Google search for example; jobs for people with Autism. Course search tips, animal care courses for people with autism.

2 comments:

Emman said...

Thank you for sharing your experiences and highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by individuals with disabilities in finding employment. NDIS employment counselling could indeed play a crucial role in bridging the gap between abilities and opportunities. It's essential that employers, trainers, and governments receive the necessary training and resources to create inclusive workplaces. Together, we can strive for a future where everyone, regardless of their abilities, can thrive in the workforce.

Gem said...

Thank you for sharing your experience. It's disheartening to hear that many employers still struggle to understand the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities in the workforce. As you mentioned, awareness and training are key, not only for employers but also for government agencies and trainers. I believe disability employment agencies play a crucial role in bridging this gap. These agencies not only provide support and resources but also advocate for inclusive workplaces where everyone, regardless of their abilities, can thrive. It's important for us to continue advocating for change and raising awareness to ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal opportunities for meaningful employment.