Access to work - A case study
What is Jobcentre Plus?
Jobcentre Plus is part of the Department of Work and Pensions offering a service to people of a working age.
What is Access to Work?
If you are thinking about recruiting a disabled person, you will know they have the skills and potential to do the work, but there may still be practical problems to overcome.
Access to Work (AtW) is available to help overcome the problems resulting from disability. It offers practical advice and help in a flexible way that can be tailored to suit the needs of an individual in a particular job. AtW does not replace the normal responsibilities of the employer to implement Health and Safety regulations or replace the responsibilities required by the Disability Discrimination Act.
As well as giving advice and information to disabled people and employers, Jobcentre Plus pays a grant, through AtW, towards any extra employment costs that result from a person’s disability.
For further details see www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk and click on 'Looking for a Job?' 'Help for Disabled People' 'Access to Work' Access to work
But what about what I can't do?
Reverend Alex Gowing-Cumber is an Anglican Priest serving in the parish of Ralyeigh, Essex and the Foundation's Adult Advisor.
Throughout life, despite the wonderful gift of dyspraxia, dyspraxic individuals find themselves coming up against daunting barriers and obstacles to everyday living and managing in the workplace.
Most parents, teachers, carers and specialists in the field are familiar with the developmental delays associated with the early years of a dyspraxic person's life. However the problems continue after leaving school at 16 when heading for the workplace, stepping into a senior role at 36 or at the pinnacle of their career at 56 when they maybe contemplating retirement. I remember those thoughts of frustration, if I had been more organised, better at time management, if only I could have learnt to follow direction accurately and arrive at interviews and meetings on time. If only I could have looked tidier seemed more confident. If it weren't for all those barriers perhaps I would have reached the point in my career where I imagined I would be by now instead of getting this far before my disability got in the way and hampered my progress.
In these early years of the 21st century' inclusion' is the buzzword oozing forth in every direction? It would be inconceivably politically incorrect, not to put assistance and equipment into place in most walks of life to compensate for mobility issues or sensory impairments. But what about assistance and equipment to empower people to compensate for the difficulties that poor short-term memory, concentration span, organisational ability and fine motor skills create in the work place. In the last year I have dealt with a number of dyspraxic adults in college and the work place, being forced out of their chosen path simply because of ignorance on the part of employers and educational institutions about their disability. I’ve seen a gifted probation officer, sound engineer and nursery nurse all removed prematurely from their chosen vocation due to ignorance.