[access-uk] Re: Access to support
- From: "Carol Pearson" <carol.pearson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 6 May 2005 22:14:55 +0100
Andy,
I'm really saddened to read this subsequent post and I do heartily
sympathise with you. My husband, Mike, has been made redundant three
times since we were married less than thirteen years ago and on each
occasion he was out of work he searched hard and went to literally loads
of interviews. He often got very, very close, so he was told, and took
jobs one after another on a much lower pay than before. He's now
earning 12K, as opposed to 24K, which was his top salary at one stage.
Anyway, enough about this but it's just to agree that there's a way to
go yet for blind people to be treated fairly in matters of employment.
I suggest you should contact Disability Rights Commission and Catherine
Casserley, Senior Legislative Advisor for the DRC. Their WEB site is
www.drc-gb.org.
The RNIB and/or Action for Blind People may also offer help. Do it
*NOW*.
Please keep us posted.
--
Carol
carol.pearson@xxxxxxxxxxxx
-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Andy
Sent: Friday, May 06, 2005 3:05 PM
To: Access-Uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Access to support
Hi all.
I'll try and not make this too lengthy a message but I really need help
from
you guys!
On 28 January I was interviewed by a Scottish Local Authority for the
post
of Community Care Social Worker. Some on the list wished me all the
best.
The same day, I was offered the post and subsequently, received a
contract
within a few days for the post of Community Care Social Worker.
My problems started when my prospective line manager turned out to be
more
interested in me undertaking a different job than that interviewed for
and
that contracted to do.
Since January, I have had numerous meetings with Access to work, an
agency
who will provide support for my Personal Assistant, and meetings with my
new
employer..
Unfortunately, Access to work could not commence application until I had
a
start date from my new employer, and unfortunately, my new employer
could
not provide a start date until my Disclosure Scotland had come through.
In
addition, my Guide Dog, Nairn, became lame during this time. However,
although these things take time, I do feel that my employer has been
kicking
the ball into the long grass, so to speak and that they are no longer
interested in employing me for the job I am contracted to do.
Since January, I have had three start dates and all have been rolled
back
for reasons such as you cannot start without your guide dog, you cannot
start without your personal assistance and you cannot start because your
I.to equipment has not yet been set up.
Some may recall that my Health and Safety Assessment recommended that I
be
located on the ground floor as a blind person may place able bodied
people
at risk, in the stairwell, during a fire emergency. As a consequence,
the
Whole Community Care Team was move from the first to the ground floor.
My prospective line manager had suggested that rather than undertake
the
job I was interviewed for, the job I was offered and the job I was
contracted to undertake, that I undertake a Duty Social Workers post.
As I
was only awarded 24 hours a week funding for my Personal Assistant, I
felt
that I could not possibly undertake this job without a full-time
Personal
Assistant.
I declined the offer a month or so ago and subsequently fell out with
my
line manager. Since then, I've been fighting my corner. The
discrimination
I am experiencing is killing me and I don't have the knowledge or skill
to
hold them back. This is really getting me down folks.
On Wednesday of this week, I became very upset and walked out during a
meeting. I was so thrust that knowone understood my needs and no one
was
interested in my views.
I telephoned Access to Work this morning who advised that they were only
concerned with assessing my needs and any difficulties I was having with
my
new employer was nothing to do with them.
I telephoned my employer and spoke to the Area manager who advised that
I
presented as very aggressive during my interview and that caused him
concern
as I would be expected to work with service users.
I explained that I walked out because I was very upset adding that I was
trying to be assertive not aggressive but I was indeed very upset. And
that
I was attempting to challenge negative attitudes regarding blind peoples
capacity to hold down a job.
I now feel that I cannot possibly work with a line manager who has
actively
discriminated against me for four months and I suspect that the letter
which
is coming to me is withdrawing my offer of a job. However, I do have a
contract. of employment.
My wife is a nurse and on low income and I am on Income Support. I
really
need help but cannot assess legal Aid as a consequence of my wife's
income.
and I really feel that I need to hammer through to this authority that
they
cannot treat disabled people like this. I'd like to sue the Local
Authority
through the DDA but don't have the funds or the knowledge to do this.
I'm
considering writing to Action for Blind People to see if they could help
but
I thought I'd sound the list out first.
I have had 13 interviews over the last four years for a job and I'm a
qualified social worker. I only happen to be blind. All of the
interviews,
apart from my ;last one in January, proved negative. The newspapers say
that Local Authorities are crying out for qualified social workers so
why am
I not working. I firmly believe that it is because I am a blind person.
DO
YOU KNOW OF ANY SOCIAL WORKER WHO HAS HAD 13 INTERVIEWS AND IS STILL
UNEMPLOYED.. I bet you don't.
My question at last folks, is what do I do now?
I'm really losing it folks and feeling very depressed, alone and
unsupported.
Any advice would be very appreciated as I'm at my wits end.
Andy.
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