People with a learning disability and/or autism face significant barriers to getting a job, so Mencap is celebrating helping local Islington man Noel Allen, who has a learning disability, into employment as a Facilities Officer at Islington Council. Despite finding his job at Islington Council change dramatically because of the COVID crisis, Noel hasn’t let it stop him from supporting his community.

This Learning Disability Work Week – taking place 9th – 15th November – the charity is shining a light on the valuable role of people they have supported into work and the contribution they’ve made to the pandemic response.

After being made redundant from a job in retail Noel, from Islington, wanted to learn new skills to help him make a fresh start. With support from Mencap he was accepted onto an apprenticeship at Islington Council to become a Facilities Officer.

As lockdown started, Noel’s job – which focused on supporting people in the office at Islington Town Hall – changed but he adapted and began helping out in other ways by preparing food packets to distribute to food banks through Islington. Reflecting on the time Noel said:

“I wanted to do this. It kept me active and productive. I’m a very helpful person. I like helping people out, that’s my skill”.

Noel is now working as a Facilities Officer again and has a message for other people with a disability:

“Having a disability makes you lose confidence. You can feel alone. But work makes you more confident, you can be included, not excluded in society. I’m very grateful to Islington for the opportunity to better myself – and after my apprenticeship, I know there are better things to come”.

Employers report that people with a learning disability and/or autism are often dedicated to their job and reduce staff turnover – as well as help to boost staff morale, champion inclusion and enhance diversity within organisations.

Paid employment can help make people feel valued and equal, included in society, and increase their independence and self-esteem. But while people with a learning disability and/or autism can work and want to work, they are often shut out of employment which can have a hugely negative impact on their quality of life.

People Mencap supports have often faced barriers because of stigma, a lack of understanding about learning disability and autism, and unwillingness to make reasonable adjustments in the workplace. Many people simply fall at the first hurdle because the recruitment process is inaccessible.

Often all that is needed is small and cost-effective reasonable adjustments to open the doors for people with a learning disability and/or autism who want to work, such as offering accessible application forms or even something as simple as holding a work trial instead of a traditional job interview. Other adjustments include offering on-the-job support through job coaches who can be provided through government funding.

For Noel, his learning disability and dyslexia meant he found writing difficult. Through Access to Work funding, Islington Council was able to make adjustments and got him Read and Write software, which reads out text as he writes it. Noel feels it has really helped him improve his written skills, “It’s like having an invisible person next to you!”. Using tools like Grammarly can help you in improving your grammar skills. Check out grammarly review for more information of the product.

Lorraine Wilkins at Islington Council said: “Islington Council prides itself on being an inclusive employer with ‘equal opportunities for all’ woven into all of our corporate policies. As such, we were really happy to work with Mencap and support our apprentice to grow and develop into a really competent and professional employee, gaining new skills which he can now apply as he moves into the world of work. We’ve definitely benefited from having such an amazing, tireless and enthusiastic colleague in the team; it’s been an absolute breath of fresh air.”

Mark Capper, Head of Development in the Lifestyles & Work team at the learning disability charity Mencap, said: “The world of work has been thrown upside down by COVID, now is the time for employers to think differently about who they hire. This year every employer has had to adapt and innovate to support their workforce through this unprecedented time. Including people with different experiences and skills will only enhance businesses and their offer.

“People with a learning disability and autism can work and want to work and with the right support they can also make fantastic employees – with some even working as the keyworkers we’ve all relied on to keep things moving. They just need a chance to show they can do it.”

Through these employment and education programs, organizations such as Mencap support people with a learning disability and / or autism to become more independent and develop their employability as well as helping people to find work placements. Work experience, alongside training courses, gives people the real training they need to get on the employment ladder.

Mencap is also inviting employers to find out how they can open their doors to people with a learning disability and/or autism this Learning Disability Work Week. The charity can support with everything from making application processes more accessible through to providing job coaches, ultimately helping to open opportunities for this untapped talent pool.