Disabled employment service in Leigh gives 'one-to-one support'

14th February 2012

The confidence and life opportunities for disabled people in Leigh, Greater Manchester, have greatly improved thanks to a 'one-to-one' supported employment service that offers opportunities to gain work placements and experience.

The Wigan Supported Employment Scheme has teamed up with Adactus Housing, a housing association that provides affordable housing in the north west, to offer work placements to people with disabilities.

Under the scheme, job applicants are offered help to fill out applications, job searching and adjusting to the workplace. They also offer help to employers taking on employees with disabilities, such as specialist training on disability awareness and one-to-one support.

In an interview with the Leigh Reporter, 19-year-old David Slater, who suffers from autism, described how a three-month placement at Adactus Housing benefitted him.

He worked with the contact centre at the company, helping with administration tasks.

"Less than three months into my placement, I was confident enough to even take the bus into work on my own and travel independently," Mr Slater told the newspaper.

“Other positive changes to my life are an increase in self confidence, and I have also established and sustained positive relationships with work colleagues and developed a better understanding of my working environment.”

Mr Slater was subsequently offered a year-long, temporary contract.

Organisations such as the British Association for Supported Employment (BASE) offer supported employment services on a national basis; the company has almost 200 agencies across the country.

Not only do supported employment agencies help disabled people find work and the confidence to adapt to working life, they also prove that it is not difficult for companies to adapt to employing disabled workers.

Despite this, a lot of employers are likely to distance themselves from employing workers with disabilities.

"Through our research, we have identified that employers were twice as likely to offer a non-disabled candidate an interview as an equally qualified disabled candidate," Shaun Williams, the director of corporate affairs for Leonard Cheshire Disability, explains.

Many employers do not understand how to accommodate a disabled employee into the workplace and, therefore, shy away from it.

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