How did this
Start?
Employment is for Everyone
Four social enterprises - Speakup, DEXX, Artworks and EDLounge - came together to start the Employment is for Everyone social movement.
In 2019, Speakup supported a NHS South Yorkshire ICB event about improving employment rates for autistic people.
Following the event, RMBC applied for funding from South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority to create a film about the positive impact people with a learning disability and autistic people can have on businesses.
Community Catalysts helped to set up a working group of key social enterprises that currently employ people. The working group was made up of DEXX, Speakup, EDLounge and Artworks.
Together they worked to create a promotional video; that would show businesses that many of their roles could be great jobs for people with learning disabilities and autistic people.
We then secured some additional funding to create this website! The aim of this site is to create a social movement that aims to improve the employment rates for people with learning disabilities and autistic people.
Jodie Bradley, Expert by Experience came up with the brilliant site and project name ‘Employment is for Everyone’ – hear more from Jodie below.
On this site you will find films, success stories and important information for both employers, and people with learning disabilities and autistic people who are interested in employment.
Where did the name Employment is for Everyone come from?
My name is Jodie Bradley, and I'm a salaried worker at Speakup. I have a mild learning disability and autism.
I'm an Expert by Experience as I do training on Learning Disability and Autism Awareness. I feel valued having a job as I can show my skills and share my thoughts and opinions on different things.
Employment is for Everyone title came to me as I think people with learning disabilities and/or autism should be able to work and earn a living.
Employers need to realise that everyone with learning disabilities and/or autism can be employed; they just need the chance to do this and show what they can do instead of saying, "you can't do that".
Being employed at Speakup has given me more skills that I didn't have before starting at Speakup. I can speak in front of large audiences at conferences, as I wouldn't have been confident enough to do in the past.
So my message is that Everyone needs a chance to be employed!
Our Partners
Meet The Team
Jodie Bradley
Expert by Experience, Speakup
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James Moore
Project Officer, Employment is for Everyone
Harry Clarkson
Project Lead - Employment is for Everyone & Principal Officer for Inclusion - Speakup
Colin Ellis
Public Health Practitioner, RMBC
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Sally Ferguson - Wormley
Principal Officer for Inclusion, Speakup