Should we create this service - need your input!

elizabethk

I'm doing a bit of research for a new venture and I was hoping some lovely people can spare a couple of minutes to answer a few questions: 

Please click here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/P7Y5H9P

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Hello 👋! Just to introduce myself, I'm Beth, a 25 year old with the body of a 75 year old. I've just arrived back from Harvard uni after a difficult year away from home at a disappointingly inaccessible university. I’m currently working with The Princes Trust, on an idea I developed at Harvard, to create a social enterprise for people with disabilities to find or continue work despite their personal circumstances.  

I believe that just because an individual may be unable to work in a conventional workplace, they do not lose their skillset, determination or desire to contribute and earn money. Therefore, I am developing this platform with other like-minded people that will connect individuals who feel able to work with different types of employment. 

However, I need to prove that (or even if) there is actually a demand for this service as corporations often have certain misconceptions about employing people with disabilities. I find it difficult to get out and about to do research in person because of my disability, so would truly appreciate anyone who could take the time to fill in this survey. Please spare a few moments to complete my survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/P7Y5H9P 

Thank you so so much. 

WhileIBreathIHope

“I believe that just because an individual may be unable to work in a conventional workplace, they do not lose their skillset, determination or desire to contribute and earn money. Therefore, I am developing this platform with other like-minded people that will connect individuals who feel able to work with different types of employment. “

The survey doesn’t work on an old crummy iPad I’m using, let me enlighten you to the reality of my experience, Disabled people are treated as a commodity to generate revenue while ensuring that the person stays exactly where they are.
If the “Client” has complex needs and low funding organisations like NAS will bin them, you only need to read these message boards.

Your pitch sounds like “Workfare” and while I have never experienced this, I know enough who were bullied for profit with Workfare and overheard “Charity Workfare Calls with almost religious Devotion to manipulation”

So as self employed and basically unemployable- I see nothing new, nothing enabling here and if it goes ahead the “organisation”  will be enriched and the disabled will be churned out fodder/ collateral damage.

Feel free to discuss.

daz1

I've just done the survey but it's not really clear at which age range it's aimed. Are the questions aimed at young people who are trying for work for the first time or is also aimed at older people who may either be looking to change jobs or maybe do something following retirement? 

April2018mom

This is a good idea! I filled out your survey but it was kind of vague. To answer your question, I am a self employed childcare provider/unpaid carer as well. What do you hope to achieve with this? 

elizabethk

WhileIBreathIHope said:

“I believe that just because an individual may be unable to work in a conventional workplace, they do not lose their skillset, determination or desire to contribute and earn money. Therefore, I am developing this platform with other like-minded people that will connect individuals who feel able to work with different types of employment. “

The survey doesn’t work on an old crummy iPad I’m using, let me enlighten you to the reality of my experience, Disabled people are treated as a commodity to generate revenue while ensuring that the person stays exactly where they are.
If the “Client” has complex needs and low funding organisations like NAS will bin them, you only need to read these message boards.

Your pitch sounds like “Workfare” and while I have never experienced this, I know enough who were bullied for profit with Workfare and overheard “Charity Workfare Calls with almost religious Devotion to manipulation”

So as self employed and basically unemployable- I see nothing new, nothing enabling here and if it goes ahead the “organisation”  will be enriched and the disabled will be churned out fodder/ collateral damage.

Feel free to discuss.

Thanks for your feedback (and sorry it didn’t work on iPad! It said it was compatible with Apple devices ).

I completely understand your concern and it’s something that I’m aware of. However I think you may have slightly misunderstood what the organisation is trying to do.

As I mentioned in the description, it will be a platform for those who feel able to work but aimed at helping those for whom working in a conventional workplace is difficult. (For example, somebody who is housebound due to their physical needs but is a qualified professional individual. Somebody who has a moderate pain condition and can work but can have flares without warning. Somebody who can’t work but does craft in their spare time and wants to sell this craft online. etc)

The reason it will be integrated with able-bodied people is because I believe that when given the right environment, disabled people have the same if not greater capabilities and they don’t need to be separate. I’m fed up of “disabled” being given a (sometimes) patronising add-on to normal services because normal services aren't accessible and think there needs to be a culture change around the way health, disability and work intersect. If accessibility is built into the platform then this doesn’t need to be the case. The individual can value their skillset and set their own rates of pay and they can have flexibility that builds in the fact sometimes my health lets me work and sometimes I can’t.

I completely understand your cynicism and I share similar frustrations. That’s exactly why I’m doing what I’m doing. That’s a key thing that’s motivating me to ask how we can do it differently and to make sure that this way of doing it differently is at the centre of the social enterprise I’m trying to build. It is why I want it to be different to all other employment platforms and be a social venture, partnering with disability charities and Access to Work, offering training in employable skills and helping employers connect with Occupational Health and answered easily so that there’s less barriers for them to employing someone with a disability.

elizabethk

daz1 said:

I've just done the survey but it's not really clear at which age range it's aimed. Are the questions aimed at young people who are trying for work for the first time or is also aimed at older people who may either be looking to change jobs or maybe do something following retirement? 

Thank you so much for completing the survey! Apologies if it wasn’t clear. I thought about asking for the age of the respondent but in the end I only had a limited number of questions I could ask. The platform is aiming to be broad enough to provide a service to a range of people across different circumstances and ages!

elizabethk

Thanks so much for filling it out @April2018mom , I really appreciate it. Hope it wasn’t too vague, was just trying to build as detailed picture as possible (would welcome any suggestions of improvements, it’s my first one!) I’m hoping that it will help people continue to work despite circumstances that normally make doing so difficult. For example, caring responsibilities that mean you can only really work from home at certain hours, less than normal, so you could use the platform to do a couple of tasks within these and receive payment - if that makes sense? Or if somebody would just like to look for a full-time job with a disability-friendly employer there would also be the option to do so and to connect with employers. (There would also be a support network to connect individuals with Access to Work and organisations that offer support and a craft shop where people are able to tell their story and sell their products!) - Hope that helps

Adrian_Scope

A really interesting idea. Can't wait to see what comes of it.

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paffuto10

A 25 year old with difficulties, but so much inspiration is brilliant in my eyes.!! 

@elizabethk
Sorry to hear it didn't work out at Harvard but Good luck and best wishes in your venture. 

WhileIBreathIHope

elizabethk said:

WhileIBreathIHope said:

“I believe that just because an individual may be unable to work in a conventional workplace, they do not lose their skillset, determination or desire to contribute and earn money. Therefore, I am developing this platform with other like-minded people that will connect individuals who feel able to work with different types of employment. “

The survey doesn’t work on an old crummy iPad I’m using, let me enlighten you to the reality of my experience, Disabled people are treated as a commodity to generate revenue while ensuring that the person stays exactly where they are.
If the “Client” has complex needs and low funding organisations like NAS will bin them, you only need to read these message boards.

Your pitch sounds like “Workfare” and while I have never experienced this, I know enough who were bullied for profit with Workfare and overheard “Charity Workfare Calls with almost religious Devotion to manipulation”

So as self employed and basically unemployable- I see nothing new, nothing enabling here and if it goes ahead the “organisation”  will be enriched and the disabled will be churned out fodder/ collateral damage.

Feel free to discuss.

Thanks for your feedback (and sorry it didn’t work on iPad! It said it was compatible with Apple devices ).

I completely understand your concern and it’s something that I’m aware of. However I think you may have slightly misunderstood what the organisation is trying to do.

As I mentioned in the description, it will be a platform for those who feel able to work but aimed at helping those for whom working in a conventional workplace is difficult. (For example, somebody who is housebound due to their physical needs but is a qualified professional individual. Somebody who has a moderate pain condition and can work but can have flares without warning. Somebody who can’t work but does craft in their spare time and wants to sell this craft online. etc)

The reason it will be integrated with able-bodied people is because I believe that when given the right environment, disabled people have the same if not greater capabilities and they don’t need to be separate. I’m fed up of “disabled” being given a (sometimes) patronising add-on to normal services because normal services aren't accessible and think there needs to be a culture change around the way health, disability and work intersect. If accessibility is built into the platform then this doesn’t need to be the case. The individual can value their skillset and set their own rates of pay and they can have flexibility that builds in the fact sometimes my health lets me work and sometimes I can’t.

I completely understand your cynicism and I share similar frustrations. That’s exactly why I’m doing what I’m doing. That’s a key thing that’s motivating me to ask how we can do it differently and to make sure that this way of doing it differently is at the centre of the social enterprise I’m trying to build. It is why I want it to be different to all other employment platforms and be a social venture, partnering with disability charities and Access to Work, offering training in employable skills and helping employers connect with Occupational Health and answered easily so that there’s less barriers for them to employing someone with a disability.

Ok so if I have got wrong end of the stick hows it funded and performance related funding targets.
You see I'd love to see a genuine confidence boosting and skills boosting for better life outcomes, however I have seen charities hungry for DWP funds make phone calls and threaten stopping benefits if person didn't answer at agreed time or talk to them.
I have personally had to tell a charity that harassed a friend to back off as they had panic attacks over it.

I'm listening and waiting to hear economic model.

Ails

Have completed your survey.  Thanks for it, @elizabethk. 

elizabethk

Adrian_Scope said:

A really interesting idea. Can't wait to see what comes of it.

Thanks so much! 

elizabethk

@paffuto10 Thank you so much for your kind words, that genuinely means a lot. 

paffuto10 said:

A 25 year old with difficulties, but so much inspiration is brilliant in my eyes.!! 

@elizabethk
Sorry to hear it didn't work out at Harvard but Good luck and best wishes in your venture. 

elizabethk

Ails said:

Have completed your survey.  Thanks for it, @elizabethk. 

@Ails Thank you so much, I really appreciate it! 

Ails

You are welcome @elizabethk.  Good luck with your research! 

Garza

I worked in both the public and private sectors for over 20 years, because of my physical and mental health problems I had to give up full time work, I am now "stuck" on benefits, I want to work and could work with some flexibility but employers and the welfare state system simply dont seem to be able to accommodate this. 

I have considered working for myself of becoming a disability consultant or speaker but I havent the capital available to fall back on if I didnt succeed and also I wouldnt be able to cope with the stress of having to re reapply for benefits, I believe there is a huge untapped and largely forgotten workforce lanquishing on benefits in this country

Garza

Garza said:

I worked in both the public and private sectors for over 20 years, because of my physical and mental health problems I had to give up full time work, I am now "stuck" on benefits, I want to work and could work with some flexibility but employers and the welfare state system simply dont seem to be able to accommodate this. 

I have considered working for myself of becoming a disability consultant or speaker but I havent the capital available to fall back on if I didnt succeed and also I wouldnt be able to cope with the stress of having to re reapply for benefits, I believe there is a huge untapped and largely forgotten workforce lanquishing on benefits in this country

got a bit carried away and forgot to make my point! I think what you are proposing is both needed and long overdue and would help many disabled people in differing situations

elizabethk

Garza said:

Garza said:

I worked in both the public and private sectors for over 20 years, because of my physical and mental health problems I had to give up full time work, I am now "stuck" on benefits, I want to work and could work with some flexibility but employers and the welfare state system simply dont seem to be able to accommodate this. 

I have considered working for myself of becoming a disability consultant or speaker but I havent the capital available to fall back on if I didnt succeed and also I wouldnt be able to cope with the stress of having to re reapply for benefits, I believe there is a huge untapped and largely forgotten workforce lanquishing on benefits in this country

got a bit carried away and forgot to make my point! I think what you are proposing is both needed and long overdue and would help many disabled people in differing situations

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply @garza . It's really useful to hear your experience as that's exactly what I feel but obviously don't know if it's just me thinking that! Can I ask, what sort of work would you like to do if you could choose? Or perhaps what work/what was your skillset before you had to give up full time work? (I initially need to pick a couple of skillsets/types of work to put on the job site from employers and would love any input!). Anyway, thanks again.  

Garza

My work skillset was based around team management and training, I would ideally like to work for myself as a Disability awareness consultant or speaker, another area  of interest would to be develop something similar to slimming world which also included and inclusive exercise element and access to a wheel on scale