Steve's Story.aspx)
I've been very lucky!
In the 80's I was out of work for a number of years, due to a sight impairment and the effect it had on my self-confidence, motivation and, although I didn't admit it at the time, mental health.
Fortunately, I met a forward thinking Advisor round at my local Job Centre in Sheffield. I'll always remember her name - Sally Gee - she really helped me to change my outlook on life by getting me to realise that what I had was an "impairment", "disability" was a thing provided by society and, in my case, myself!
"So, don't be afraid to ask for help; don't be afraid to accept help; and take control of your luck and your life!"
I worked my way from a Day Care Assistant at a centre for older people, to a senior manager within the largest employment and learning company in the UK - A4e.
And this is where my luck really kicked-in!
I had been working on the development of "Pathways" with the Government and other related organisations for six years, whilst leading on New Deal for Disabled People for A4e. At last, "Pathways" was to provide disabled people with the same opportunity I had benefited from in the 80's - forward thinking with no-one written-off.
Life being life, just as I was deeply immersed in the process of leading A4e's Pathways strategy, I was revisited, big time, by my mental health condition. This could easily have been the end of my working life, but I was supported heavily by my employer. A4e paid for specialist treatment for me and allowed me to work in a flexible way, depending on my fluctuating condition. Most importantly, my colleagues at work, and within other organisations, accepted my erratic behaviour as part of my character and continued to provide the friendship and support I needed.
I'm now fully back in the driving seat, leading on A4e activities in Poland and Slovakia and trying to make an impact on disability services in India and Israel.
Last week, I was a guest speaker at the launch of the consultation for a groundbreaking UK Government initiative - "Right to Control". This will give disabled people the right to decide on how and where to spend their entitlement on support for their condition.
Strange to think that a couple of years ago I couldn't get out of my bedroom and now I was here to launch a Government initiative alongside the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the Disability Minister and one the country's leading voices for disabled people, Baroness Jane Campbell.
So, don't be afraid to ask for help; don't be afraid to accept help; and take control of your luck and your life!
Steve, A4e Project Director