Written by Lily Cleminson
Disclaimer: this is a personal blog by a BuDS member. The views expressed are personal and don’t necessarily represent those of BuDS or our Trustees.
Lily has joined BuDS recently as our Reach4Work Youth Worker. This post was kindly funded by The Rothschild Foundation as part of a 3-year SEND Transitions Service project. Lily tells us about her experience joining BuDS.
“Working at BuDs has been a very different experience from other work places. I already love working with the Reach4Work Team, despite only ever having met them online. My days are self-structured which enables me to manage my long-term health condition in a way that really works for me, and as a result I am able to work at my most productive each day. It’s wonderful to feel the benefits of having such an inclusive and understanding workplace, and to know that these types of solutions really can work to everyone’s benefit.
Even better, is the fact that I’m researching something I feel really passionate about and have personal experience of – the barriers disabled people face when they transition from school to employment. I’ve spent a lot of my working hours reading reports and statistics about disabled people in the workplace, and soon I’ll have the chance to build on this research by interviewing and surveying BuDS volunteers on their personal experiences of finding and maintaining suitable employment. I’ll also be asking people about the types of employment support services they have used to help them, and whether they experienced any barriers in looking for work or receiving the right type of support. This will all be collated into a report in which recommendations will be made on improvements to the local provision of employment support services.
The thing I’m most looking forward to next is getting the results from the surveys which I’m hoping to have in the new year. This will be when we really find out about people’s concerns and what real change is needed in Bucks to help young people make a healthy transition into employment. It’s a feeling of real possibility, not yet knowing the exact direction the project will take, as it will be responsive to the views of disabled people themselves. It’s a very special feeling to be working on something so worthwhile with the support of a committed team of employees and volunteers.”