PEOPLE who are deafblind are being given the chance to sign up for an online course to help them gain a job.
Sight and hearing loss charity Deafblind UK’s first free employment programme will give people some of the practical skills and positive mind set to find employment.
The 12-week programme is open to anyone affected by combined sight and hearing loss, aged between 18 and 60, living in the UK and not currently in work.
Simone Moore, Director of Operations at the charity, said: “We know there are barriers to employment for people who are deafblind and it’s not just the physical difficulties. Sight and hearing loss presents many different challenges to daily life and as a result, people often find their confidence, social skills and energy levels take a hit – all skills that you need to find and hold down a job.
“Finding employment is about so much more than applying for jobs – it’s about developing the mental strength to start the process, and the resilience to keep going. We will work with people to develop these traits and to understand how to apply them to start a job search.”
The course will be taught through both group learning and one to one sessions and led by an experienced employability coach. Guest speakers will also be a key focus and delegates will hear from speakers who are living with deafblindness and are in employment, local advocates, and industry specialists.
People will explore motivational change, education, training, self-employment, searching for jobs, writing a CV, interview skills as well as learning about disability employment and Access to Work entitlements.
They will also have the chance to work with external mentors who will continue to support them for three months after the course.
The programme is being funded by The Vision Foundation and The Forrester Family Trust.
Deafblind UK: Tel. 0800 132320
Text: 07903 572885
Email: info@deafblind.co.uk
