Creating work experience opportunities for disabled young people

Posted: 17th October 2017

Treloar College in Alton, which supports young people with complex physical disabilities, has been awarded £50,775 to help create valuable work experience opportunities for its students. This grant will fund the role of a Work Experience Officer, who will arrange work placements for students, helping to prepare them for life after college. This may include going into voluntary or paid employment with the aim of boosting confidence and skills for the future.

The Work Experience Officer is part of the Transition Team at Treloar’s. The total cost of this department is over £220,000 a year, which is funded solely through voluntary donations.

Disabled people are far less likely to find employment

Young disabled people are almost half as likely as their non-disabled peers to be in employment – 46.5% compared to 84%, according to a 2016 report from the Papworth Trust.  A shocking 44.3% of working-age disabled people are without a job; nearly 4 times higher than for non-disabled people.

Treloar’s Principal Martin Ingram said:

“We are very grateful to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Freemasons for their generous grant. It will help give our students confidence and develop skills and experience for the future.”

Mike Wilks, Provincial Grand Master for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Freemasons said:

“We are very pleased to be able to support the Treloar Trust, which does outstanding work in giving young disabled people in our community the chance to experience the world of work.”




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Digital round-up: CBM launches app to help disabled people access life-saving disaster relief

Overseas disability charity CBM will launch the full version of its Humanitarian Hands-on Tool on Saturday to coincide with World Humanitarian Day.

The app, which is designed to provide help for people with disabilities seek life-saving relief services during emergencies, was unveiled in prototype version last year, since when CBM has consulted with humanitarian and disabled people’s organisations and incorporated their feedback.

HHOT aims to provide practical, step-by-step guidance that emergency workers can access freely and easily to ensure that the help they provide, such as emergency shelters or food and water points are accessible to people with disabilities or other marginalised groups.

Zoe Hopkins, senior programme officer at humanitarian aid agency Mercy Corps, who took part in the consultation sessions, said it was important to adapt common emergency responses to be more disability inclusive.

“Interactive use of the HHOT tool revealed many practical ways of adapting all sectors of emergencies, from quick wins such as appropriate signage in a camp, to more participatory approaches of ensuring disabled people’s organisations are present at Cluster meetings,” she said.

Breast Cancer Care has created a video to celebrate 25 years of the pink ribbon, the global symbol for breast cancer.

The Pink Ribbon 25 anniversary film, which also features the charity’s new limited edition pink velvet ribbon, has been launched across Breast Cancer Care’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels. It features 25 people who have been affected by breast cancer in some way whether that is through facing their own cancer diagnosis or supporting someone else.

Samia al Qadhi, chief executive of Breast Cancer Care, said: “Since the first pink ribbon was created we’ve helped millions of women, men, their friends and families live with, through and beyond breast cancer. This year, as we celebrate and mark its 25th anniversary, it remains as compelling as ever – a powerful symbol of hope, strength and unity.”

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