8 minute read
UNITED UTILITIES
Young people scared to tell bosses they are deaf
FAMILY SUPPORT: Gemma, right, with her family – brotherAlex, dad
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Roy and mum Sally
TWO out of every three deaf young people would hide their condition on a job application, a new report shows.
Meanwhile, careers advice across the country is not up to standard, leaving them unprepared for the world of work, researchers found.
Nearly half are not supported by schools and colleges to make decisions about their futures.
And 90% are unaware ofAccess To Work, the Government-funded grant scheme that provides disabled people with accessible equipment, technology or interpreters.
The report, Deaf Works Everywhere,
written by deaf young activists who visited schools and colleges across the UK, includes interviews with deaf young people.
One said: “I went to a careers fair and someone was there from the police. They said, ‘You are deaf, you cannot work for us’ . But my dad is deaf and he works for the police. ”
The National Deaf Children’s Society is now calling on local authorities, schools, colleges and Governments across the UK to work together to ensure that deaf young people receive specialist careers advice.
Martin McLean, policy advisor at the National Deaf Children’s Society, said: “Schools, colleges and local authorities need to urgently improve the quality of support they’re offering because many of them just aren’t delivering for deaf young people. ”
MOST disabled jobseekers say their biggest barrier to work is finding truly disabled-friendly employers.
They also feel their opportunities to demonstrate their qualities and skills are limited.
Jane Hatton, director of Evenbreak, which carried out a survey involving more than 700 disabled people across the UK, said, “It seems confidence is a huge issue for disabled job seekers – lack of confidence in employers, in the recruitment process and in themselves.
“The good news is that the first two can be addressed by employers. By becoming, and being seen as, inclusive employers of choice, employers will be able to attract and retain many more talented disabled people. ”
Evenbreak, set up in 2011, is an award-winning social enterprise run by and for disabled people, helping employers attract and retain more talented disabled candidates.
n www.even break.co.uk
Wanted: more bosses who are disabled-friendly
HowHowothersothershelphelpmeme throughthroughthethepainpain......
THERE are times – even in my young life – when I realise just how incredibly fortunate I am.
I’d spent my entire childhood and adolescence trying to cope with being in never-ending pain and being denied all kinds of fun opportunities that other children take for granted.
It was awful. They were very dark days. Without the support of my wonderful family I really don’t know where I would have been.
I thought life couldn’t get much worse.
Then at the age of 18 I saw for myself just how truly awful life can be – and is – for others.
My local church in Greasby, Wirral, had given me the chance of some voluntary work in Uganda. It was a huge learning curve. I had never been away from my parents for a long period of time. Now here I was in the middle ofAfrica, disabled, and feeling very alone and vulnerable.
I was way out of my comfort zone but there was no time for self-pity. I had to put my own anxieties to one side.
I had never seen extreme poverty up close and personal. I found myself right in the core of our mission to rebuild communities and homes, and provide necessary health and education. I literally saw life and death in front of my eyes. I saw things you can never un-see. I realised how short life was, to be grateful for the life I have and to appreciate the smallest things because you just never know what’s around the corner.
My time in Uganda taught me so much about life, and I returned with a new perspective and a more positive attitude on my life and the life of others.
It was the turning point I needed. I realised that despite how bad life may appear to be, there can be ways to turn things around, especially if you have support – and the knowledge to bring about those improvements.
I’m a firm believer in the more aware you are about your own health issues – and those of others – the better life will be for everyone!
That’s why I’m on a new mission now: To raise awareness about my own big challenge in life – hip dysplasia (also known as developmental dysplasia of the hip, or DDH).
I was diagnosed at 11 months. My parents had noticed a few things that weren’t quite right such as one leg longer than the other, clicking, and extra creases at the back of my left thigh.
The GP wasn’t particularly concerned, but my parents sought another opinion and an orthopaedic surgeon confirmed my diagnosis.
I was immediately placed into traction to relocate my hips. However, the treatment failed and it meant years being spent in a cast.
I can’t begin to imagine the pressures this put on my parents. It must have been extremely difficult for them to cope. But they had a great network of support from family to friends. They say they never felt alone and I think it made a difference.
But this doesn’t take away the sadness, and the countless restrictions on family life that having a child with hip dysplasia brings.
I spent most of my teenage years under the care of Liverpool’sAlder Hey Children’s Hospital, where I felt part of a family – every department knew me and my family.
I was the first young person in the whole of the county who had a double pelvic osteotomy, this was to realign my pelvis and
MY STORY: by GEMMA BARBER
Mum’s guide for parents
NATALIE Trice has been through the heartbreak of watching her son Lucas undergo endless operations followed by months of recovery.
That experience inspired her to set up a charity – and write a book – aimed at helping parents avoid “the despair and isolation” she went through.
Natalie’s charity, DDH UK (Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip), provides round-the-clock support for parents and patients.
Natalie’s book, Cast Life –A Parent’s Guide to DDH, is available
fromAmazon, £9.99.
Professor Nicholas Clarke, who wrote the foreword, said: “DDH is one of the most common congenital abnormalities and it is remarkable that there is so little information out there.
n DDH: Tel. 07825 615303, email:
info@ddh-uk.org, www.ddh-uk.org
HIP DYSPLASIAis an abnormality of the hip joint where the socket portion does not fully cover the ball portion, resulting in an increased risk for joint dislocation. It can occur at birth or even late in life. Complications without treatment can include arthritis, limping, and chronic low back pain.
B
create deeper sockets to stop more dislocations. The surgery was extremely dangerous. I was warned my injuries could be like being hit by a double decker bus.
But I was never in doubt. I was determined and positive and knew I’d be stronger for it. My recovery period was going to be extremely tough but I so wanted to be a normal person again. I, too, had things I wanted to experience, places to visit like Uganda. But, aged 18, I soon discovered how different child services were to adult services.
I was transferred to my local hospital where staff had no understanding or awareness on my condition. I slowly lost my mobility, my independence, my self-esteem. Fortunately, my GP helped me to get PIP (Personal Independence Payment) and I was given the higher rate which enabled me to receive a mobility car to allow me to be as independent as I could be.
Throughout the last few years I have been going around in circles, meeting different surgeons and hoping they could improve my quality of life.
One surgeon said I would be in pain for the rest of my life! Some opinions were better than others. Two years ago, I was referred me to University College London Hospital.
I arrived at the hospital feeling so nervous and anxious. I just wanted to run away and hide. But, to my amazement and joy, a consultant recommended left hip replacement surgery!Afew months later I was on my way to London for the op and on the train opposite me wasAshley Luke Lloyd from the West End musical Dreamgirls.
He was great and invited me, my mum and my auntie to one of his shows. What a dream come true!
Afew months into my recovery, I started having pain in my right hip which I put down to muscle weakness, so I threw myself back into strict physiotherapy to build up muscles in both legs. However, despite all my efforts, another hip replacement was the only answer.
Naturally, I was very anxious, but with my parents always at my side, I got through it okay and I’m now doing everything I can to make the most of my two new hips.
My life so far has been a rollercoaster of a journey. Now I can’t wait to see what these next few years years bring. ISOLATED: Natalie and sons Lucas, right, and Eddie
Online cash guide for blind students
HELP is at hand for blind university students worried about their finances.
Student Dosh is a new guide covering
everything students need to know –from banking accessibility to information on overdrafts and how to budget, including additional support on financing studies.
There is also a useful ‘budget calculator’to help identify what money students have coming in and what they have to spend, so they can plan and manage their finances.
Tara Chattaway, at Thomas Pocklington Trust, said: “We know starting university can be challenging under normal circumstances for anyone with vision impairment, but in the current crisis it is going to be even more difficult.
“This online guide is just part of a wide range of information that can found on our website. ”
n Student Support Line 0203 757 8040 n www.pocklington-
