Independent and Work Ready CIC was set up in June 2019 as a not-for-profit organisation with the aim to get people with disabilities and learning difficulties independent and work ready. The site should appeal to people with disabilities as a resource they can self-use covering a huge range of topics for adult life as well as being useful to education providers, and other services. Find out more here: www.independentandworkready.co.uk
The site is to collect people’s adult life experiences on topics like disability and work. It is intended the site will also offer a jobs board featuring inclusive employers that will promote the benefits of hiring people with disabilities and provide a place where people can look especially for first and second jobs as well as volunteering options. The site offers self-directed task cards to help learning about disability and work as well as the other areas.
On the site you will find a range of topics useful for adult life with a disability including but not limited to disability and work, volunteering, health, benefits, housing, education, relationships, disability and parenting, technology, the arts, leisure, sport, tourism, transport, driving, life skills topics from politics, the law to literacy and banking and much more. Its central intention is to make people aware of their options offering a place where different aspects of support and information for adult life are in one place. There are lots of easy read material, videos and the website is intended as a self-directed resource for lifelong learning and being in control of options. The most important focus is disability employment and making people aware of the support available like from the Government with the Access to Work Scheme that pays for assistance to remove any potential barriers disability may cause in the workplace. This could be support workers, job coaches, equipment, transport like taxis to work and is tailored to individual needs following an in-work assessment.
You can also learn more on the site in relation to life and work with specific conditions such as Dyslexia, Moderate learning difficulties, Cerebral Palsy, Autism, ADHD and more conditions are added regularly.
With an MSc in Disability research focused on leisure and tourism as well as personal experience with disability due to Diplegia Cerebral Palsy and Dyslexia. Karen draws from a range of personal life experience she has learnt a lot from both positive and negative employment and life experience with disability. She has used many different products and services to overcome disability. She has experienced the pitfalls when reasonable adjustments have not been made in interview assessments, she has experienced negative attitudes and has fallen over in front of an interview panel! But then has also experienced the inclusive practices of employers and uses Access to Work. She has worked as a mentor in Higher Education and in SEND in Further Education. She has worked with people from a range of backgrounds and with different disabilities including Autism and Moderate Learning Disabilities. Over the years Karen has signposted others to lots of support and used lots of support herself. She is now look to offer an employability and mentoring service for those with disabilities to be supported by those that also have disabilities. Karen also has postgraduate qualifications in Psychology along with her mentoring experience. The site offers support with employability, CVs and applications. She used to run large craft family fun day events for disability charities at significant venues, so has experience with enterprise skills and self-employment.
If you would like to get involved please contact Karen: Independentandworkready@gmail.com
