Fox&Fifth’s Post

Why supported Internships are important & how we can all learn to help people disabled by barriers to employment get into paid work. It is imperative that we all encourage & support those with a disability to be able to work, either into paid work or a volunteering role.  We all post how we want to create better workplaces & cultures by being more inclusive, diverse & enrich businesses and organisations by employing a person with a disability. Having met Julie Reynolds from Active Inclusion: Equity in Employment on our PASHN network meetings, she kindly invited me to one of their groups, along with some other great people making a difference. I recently had the pleasure of meeting Callum Laker on that call. Callum recently finished a 12 month supported internship with the NHS at St Georges Hospital & DFN Project SEARCH Callum has a lot of skills to offer, please read his article - link below or follow him on Linked in & read more about his journey to find employment. We can make it happen & employ people with disabilities. With great organisations that can help your business to be more diverse and inclusive. If you want to find out more on how we can support Callum and others into paid employment through supported internships – Julie and myself will be attending BASE Conference in Manchester – 19th & 20th July Disability Confidence in Action Business Summit BASE (British Association for Supported Employment) https://lnkd.in/eNtBcdDU PaSHN network group with Jodie 💜 Greer (https://lnkd.in/eyRPGmff Image Description : Lilac poster with "Did you know"? Wording "Employing persons with a disability & diverse backgrounds enriches your workforce" Picture: 4 people sat around office desk, one is sat in their wheelchair

Free webinar - Developing Disability Confident Workplaces and Internships Are you looking to foster a culture of inclusivity and enable disabled people to thrive in the workplace? Leonard Cheshire is proud to present the Developing Disability Confident Workplaces and Internships free webinar, which will empower professionals and cultivate inclusivity and accessibility within organisations. This one-hour webinar will provide practical guidance on creating meaningful internships for disabled students and graduates and developing your team’s awareness of recruiting and retaining disabled people in the workplace. Understanding and removing barriers for disabled people can feel tricky. What adjustments are reasonable? How do we remove barriers at work for disabled people? Understanding disability inclusion practices ensures you can set disabled people up for success and move your diversity goals forward. This is a unique opportunity to learn, share, and ask questions in a warm and friendly environment. Learn more about: - Change 100’s award-winning internship programme for talented disabled students/graduates - Removing recruitment and retention barriers from processes and practices in the workplace - How to build a truly Disability Confident workplace - How Scottish Environment Link supported managers from member organisations to make workplace adjustments Who should attend? Whether you are at the beginning of your Disability Confident journey or well established and looking to make further improvements, this webinar will assist you. This event is suitable for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Leads, Partners, Managers, Officers, and Advisors in Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, and Human Resources roles. Nic Darker, Senior Programme Manager at Leonard Cheshire, will host this event. He will be joined by a panel of speakers who will explore these topics through presentations, shared lived experiences, and answering your questions. Date: 23 October 2024 Time: 10 - 11 AM Platform: Zoom Places are free to attend but are limited, so please book in advance using this link: https://lnkd.in/eD_G6P8q If we can make any adjustments or changes for the webinar, please do let us know. Closed captions will be available.

🤔 Did you know that today marks the start of Disability History Month? ➡️ This years theme is Disability Livelihood and Employment. Disability has been seen for many years as synonymous with non-employment or unemployment and for those who are employed, the latest data from the TUC indicates that the disability pay gap has widened. We also know that the majority young adults with a learning disability or autism spectrum condition who are known to their local authority are unemployed. This is unacceptable. Here at DFN Project SEARCH we support young adults with #learningdisabilities into employment by providing a high quality supported internship model for sites across the UK.

Thank you Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Daniel Seiden for spotlighting Project SEARCH as the most successful internship program for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In Arizona, 344 interns have successfully graduated from the program. Consider the statistics of this untapped population: - Only 19.1% of people with intellectual disabilities are employed in the United States, compared to the employment rate of people without disabilities, which is 61.8%. - Less than one out of every two working-age adults with an intellectual disability is in the labor force, and 28% have never held a job. - The unemployment rate is 17%, which is more than double the unemployment rate for people with other disabilities and almost four times the unemployment rate for the general population. https://lnkd.in/gmFViNtq

Disability Confident Decoded: Theme 1 Activity For the final DCD of the year, we’re looking at the activities in Theme 1. Organisations must commit and deliver against at least one activity. Although we always encourage organisations to complete more than one activity and we’re “merry and bright” to see them doing more than one. The activities include: 1. Providing work experience. 2. Providing work trials. 3. Providing paid employment (permanent or fixed term). 4. Providing apprenticeships. 5. Providing a traineeship. 6. Providing paid internships or support internships (or both). 7. Advertising vacancies and other opportunities through organisations and media aimed particularly at disabled people. 8. Engaging with Jobcentre Plus, Work and Health programme providers and local disabled people’s user led organisations (DPULOs) to access support when required. 9. Providing an environment that is inclusive and accessible for staff, clients and customer 10. Offering other innovative and effective approaches to encourage disabled people to apply for opportunities and supporting them when they do. In the Disability Confident guidance under Activity 6 you’ll find a link to Leonard Cheshire’s Change 100. Hot off the press, the most wonderful tim-ing of the year, is our new Change 100 brochure! There will be a new series of DCD legs in the new year. If you’re thinking “eight is a lot of legs David”. I’d say, “don’t worry, we’ll decode each leg together, and the name’s Daniel”. #DisabilityConfident #DisabilityInclusion #DisabilityConfidentDecoded

What a lovely thing:

“We are excited to welcome three more full-time hires with disabilities this year,” said Mr Peter Goh, director of human resource and organisation at GIC. It had also hired Mr Jonathan Tiong, another person with disability, after his internship at GIC in 2019. “All (four) were converted after proving their capability to perform at the high standards expected at GIC during their internship stints,” said Mr Goh in a recent media interview with TODAY (https://lnkd.in/g5Ty2pth). We are heartened to hear of GIC’s positive experience. Some workplaces continue to have misconceptions about persons with disabilities’ productivity, or that making accommodations for them will cost a lot of money. As the ecosystem builder for disability-inclusive employment, we have resources to equip employers at every stage of the inclusive hiring journey. Read our commissioned study on how employers can “Unlock the competitive advantage of a disability-inclusive workforce” and learn 4 key benefits of inclusive hiring below. #InclusiveSociety #EnabledLives

Creating an inclusive workforce not only benefits young people with additional needs but also strengthens your business. Diverse teams drive innovation, improve workplace culture, and deliver better results. Learn how supported internships can help you build a more dynamic, inclusive workplace. https://lnkd.in/e2vX_-cC #InternshipsWork #WorkplaceDiversity #InclusionMatters

"My internship with the Spastics Society of Karnataka, secured through the #BITSLawSchool IICA team, provided me with an opportunity to gain a deeper perspective on the circumstances faced by children with developmental disabilities, including cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and autism. This experience allowed me to engage directly with the children, witnessing firsthand their needs and the various forms of support they require. I had the chance to learn about the specialised care, therapies, and educational approaches essential for helping these children reach their full potential. Observing the organisation’s efforts to support children with developmental disabilities gave me a deeper understanding of how legal tools can be utilised to address the systemic barriers that individuals with disabilities face daily. Furthermore, this internship offered a nuanced perspective on the intersection of law and social justice, particularly in terms of disability rights. From a legal perspective, the internship underscored the critical role the legal system plays in ensuring individuals with disabilities have equal access to opportunities, services, and support. It highlighted the importance of legal frameworks actively promoting accessibility and inclusion in various areas of life, such as education, healthcare, and employment. I was able to connect the practical realities of working with children with disabilities to the broader legal and policy structures designed to protect their rights and promote equality." - Zoya Thomas, B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) #BITSLAW #BITSPilani #InternshipDiaries Chetana Lal Sham Argade

Orlando Health's "We Build" program offers paid internships to adults with developmental disabilities, leading to employment opportunities within the hospital system. Since its inception in 2021, the program has graduated 25 interns, with 17 securing jobs at the hospital. The initiative collaborates with organizations such as Special Olympics Florida and the Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida to provide success coaches who support interns and educate hospital staff. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eTsbR2AV