Why work matters
Sara Pickard explains why having a job is about more than money.
Isn’t it interesting that we are still hearing those constant news stories about the record highest levels of employment in our country BUT still only 6% of people with a learning disability in this country are in employment?
Why? Is it that people with learning disabilities don’t have the employment skills necessary or is it that employers just aren’t prepared to give these people a start in the world of employment?
Having the opportunity to get my voice heard on topics like this is really important to me, so when a small group of young people with Down’s Syndrome, including myself, were asked to feature on the Victoria Derbyshire Show on BBC back in May 2015, this was a great chance for us to be on a live TV news programme all about changing the perceptions of people about Down’s Syndrome in the employment sector.
Our group included people with jobs in acting, retail and charities. Some had featured in well-known TV shows such as Holby City and Call the Midwife. Being able to include people with a learning disability in more roles like this, can only help in making more people aware of what people with learning disabilities can do. A lot of really interesting points were made during our conversation, including what some of the barriers can be in seeking employment. We received some very positive feedback – but has the situation improved?
Challenging perceptions
There are some very successful schemes helping to connect people with learning disabilities to possible employers. An example of this is the Workfit Wales programme run by Simon James of Down’s Syndrome Association Wales. This has been in operation since 2014 from a grant from the Big Lottery Wales. Many young people are now in a range of permanent jobs and over 250 employees have received Down’s syndrome awareness training. Having more people with learning disabilities in public facing jobs is a really good way to help to challenge the public’s perceptions.
I have been very lucky to have been in steady employment for almost all of the 12 years since leaving college. My first experience was working as a school receptionist. After about a year I began working for Mencap Cymru, and in my ten years there I have worked on several projects where I have visited schools and colleges to make presentations, conducted interviews, helped in putting on exhibitions and, of course, a lot of admin work in the office. I have also made three visits to South Africa and Lesotho and one to Botswana as a volunteer to work with people with learning disabilities, which has been very interesting and eye opening in many ways for me.
In my other work role, I am also the council member for Europe for Inclusion International and this means that I have visited some amazing places like Rome, Madrid, Orlando and Prague in the space of the past year to make presentations, and I’m off to a conference in Brussels in December.
I feel that having a job is so important to anyone. Having a steady job, where I am getting paid, means I can feel good about myself. I am able to do the job I do well and enjoy it, just like anyone else would!
Bigger decisions
Having a job I feel able to make bigger decisions in my own life outside of work, including how I spend my money. I can appreciate what it must be like, when other people with learning disabilities don’t always get to have the same chances offered to them.
As the statistic that only 6% of people with a learning disability has a job shows, we just need to convince more people that those who have learning disabilities are as equal as anyone else in society, and can do valuable jobs, with the right support. So, why treat us any differently?
