Making it Work

What is Making it Work?

It is a five year programme to improve young Disabled people’s chances of employment and challenge the barriers to getting into work. Run by Inclusion London it will be delivered in partnership with Deaf and Disabled people’s organisations across London. It is funded by the City Bridge Trust.

Our programme will build DDPOs’ capacity to deliver employment support, including setting up Supported Internships and training, using a rights based and social model approach.

We will challenge old ideas about employment support and assumptions made about Disabled people, test out new models and support changes to policy and practice to remove barriers to employment.

Get involved

For DDPOs

We can support DDPOs to:

• Highlight the continuing barriers for Disabled people seeking work.
• Start local supported internships – a model where DDPO’s partner up with a college and an employer to provide on-site training and work experience for young Disabled people
• Deliver a rights based training programme to support Disabled people who want to work
• Showcase your successes

For businesses

We can support businesses to:

• Attract and retain Disabled employees
• Create partnerships with local organisations
• Become experts in making their recruitment processes and jobs more accessible to disabled people
• Set up work placements / work trials for Disabled candidates at no cost to the business

We cannot provide support for individual Disabled people to get into employment, but can signpost people to local opportunities and will offer online resources.

Supported internship model

This is a three way partnership between a host employer, a Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisation and a college.

The funding comes through the college and pays for the tutor and the job coaches. The DDPO employs the job coaches and provides insight into the lived experience of Disabled people and a rights and social model approach to employment support. Young people with learning difficulties take up a 9 month internship during which time they complete a college course and three work placements with the host employer. They are supported to apply for jobs towards the end of the internship. Previous internships have a success rate typically of 60-70%. The funding is ongoing which means there is no need for constant fundraising or bidding for contracts.

You can download our brochure on supported internships here:

Supported Internships: A Guide for Employers – Pdf version
Supported Internships: A Guide for Employers – Word version

Building the skills of Disabled people

We will also be developing a rights and social model based course that addresses the barriers to work head on. It will give Disabled people a smart set of tools to challenge barriers and make direct contact with employers. The course will be made available to DDPOs to deliver locally.

Making it Work is funded by City Bridge Trust as part of their Bridge to Work programme. Photos reproduced with kind permission from Action on Disability.

Launch of Making It Work films

We have recently completed shooting a series of 3 short films alongside Filmanthropy. The films tell the stories of several young Disabled people who’ve been supported into, and who have sustained employment within high-profile, mainstream employers. The films put young Disabled in front of and behind the camera to show that with a little flexibility the barriers that they face to employment can be removed and to encourage employers, colleges and young Disabled people to get involved. They also highlight the added value that Disabled people’s organisations bring to supported employment and the importance of using a social model and rights based approach. You can watch the films here.

Get in touch

Contact Jon Rees

Email: jon.rees@inclusionlondon.org.uk

Phone: 020 7237 3181.