EmpowerAbility: Disability Work Placement Project

Aim

EmpowerAbility: Transforming lives by creating inclusive job opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Join us!

I want you to take a moment.

Picture your family, your circle of friends, your neighbours, your children’s friends or family. Among them, is there someone with a disability? Maybe it’s an old schoolmate who faced challenges differently? Or a cousin who navigates the world in a unique way?  

For many of us in the UK, the answer is a resounding yes. More often than not, these individuals, bursting with potential and ambition, are facing an unnoticed battle.

The unsettling truth is that too many people with disabilities, whether physical or hidden, are not in employment. Many companies choose to remain non-inclusive, often side-lining those with disabilities instead of recognising their worth.

According to gov.uk, from July to September 2022, the disability employment rate fell whilst the non-disabled employment rate rose!

Job opportunities seem sparse, and society's understanding of disability is even scarcer, so their potential goes unnoticed. Unfortunately, this has led many people living with a disability to feel misunderstood, unsupported and as though they are second best. 

EmpowerAbility: A Disability Work Placement Project which aims to give every disabled individual a fighting chance in the professional world. 

Our mission is to create a more inclusive workforce by providing meaningful work placements for all individuals with disabilities. This isn't just about ensuring they have jobs; it’s about ensuring they have careers where they can flourish, and grow, making significant contributions to our country's growth and prosperity. It’s about making them realise they DO COUNT and WE DO CARE.

Our inclusive work placement programme will include:

• 6-week office-based work experience
• Essential skills development 
• 12 months of ongoing tailored support and mentoring
• An employment scheme with inclusive employers

We will initially run a pilot project based in Kettering and if this is successful, we plan to expand across the country by collaborating with more businesses and opening more offices.

We've seen first-hand how this transforms lives with a very small project of 5 work placements. We successfully placed 2 of the participants and are still providing support to the remaining individuals.

Our dedicated team at EmpowerAbility are passionate about this cause. With diverse backgrounds in disability advocacy, employment, and business, we're well-equipped to make a difference.

We cannot deliver our disability work placement programme without your help! With your support we could help 156 disabled people get and stay in employment in our first year. However, we need to reach our goal of £200,000 to ensure we can provide the essential support needed to create inclusive work opportunities and environments. The funding will cover essential expenses such as training, resources, and support services. 

This is not just a project. This is an opportunity to dismantle barriers, challenge conventions and champion inclusivity. This is building a future where individuals with disabilities not only find employment opportunities but thrive in them.

Join us in making a difference. Join us in transforming lives.

Together, we can unlock the potential of individuals with disabilities, we can empower independence, we can create a more inclusive society. Your contribution will help us ensure that nobody's ambition, talent and potential gets forgotten. 

Thank you for your support!

Hi, I’m Elizabeth, the driver and creator behind EmpowerAbility. I have always been passionate about helping others which is why I worked in the charity sector for over 15 years. When I knew I needed to make a change, I set up my own Virtual Assistant business, Admin and More, which I have been successfully running and growing for the past 7 years. 

I now have the opportunity to give something back and I want to do this by supporting people with disabilities into the workplace. I want to provide the opportunity that I know can be life-changing to so many people. Everyone deserves an equal chance and together we can make it a reality.

This project closed unsuccessfully on 5th February 2024