A Brighton and Hove charity has been given government funding to help disabled people into work and tackle the negative attitude of some employers.
The charity, Possability People, is working on the project – known as Recruit Ability – with the Brighton and Hove Chamber of Commerce.
Possability People – formerly The Fed – said that one of the biggest barriers to employment for disabled people is perceived attitudes of employers.
In the past week the case of deaf teenager James Blake appeared to illustrate the point.
The Chamber of Commerce said: “Recruit Ability aims to break down these barriers and engage with businesses to ‘myth bust’ around disability in the workplace, as well as place people in suitable job vacancies.”
Funding for the project has come from the Department for Work and Pensions to enable Possability People and the Chamber to bring employers and emplyees together.
They said that Recruit Ability would work with local businesses looking for a new member of staff and help them to recruit talented, qualified people to their team.
Recruit Ability will work with business to look at opportunities such as work trials and will help businesses apply for Access to Work funding if necessary to cover the cost of equipment, software or other support.
It builds on a previous project called Journey 2 Employment. One of those helped by the project was Sue Bello, from Southwick.
After a dramatic change of circumstance, she had lost her confidence and was feeling increasingly cut off from her local community.
Her fluctuating health condition had made it hard for her to attend appointments and meet up with friends, let alone get back to work.
Possability People said: “We worked with Sue to help her build her confidence (and) build her IT skills. She even helped out other course members who wanted to learn how to use the computer.
“She began to be able to identify her strengths and take steps to improve her own situation.
“Once she felt ready, Sue began applying for jobs and was successful at getting a retail position using the coping strategies we helped her to learn via the Journey 2 Employment course, which means she is able to manage her condition and stay well at work.
“This improved confidence also translates to Sue’s social life as she is able to get out and about and meet up with people more.”
