#TeamGuidant Opinion | Stephen talks disability as a wheelchair user

By Stephen Salmon, Marketing Executive

​To close off National Disability Employment Awareness Month, I wanted to share some takeaways from the week where Talent Attraction and Acquisition Manager, Emma Buckley and I joined many others at the stunning Mansion House to celebrate Whizz-Kidz’s 30th Anniversary on Tuesday, 22nd October, and hosted an employability day on Friday, 25th October, in conjunction with the charity.

As a wheelchair user myself, hosting employability workshops for young wheelchair users means a great deal to me, especially since I’ve been volunteering at Whizz-Kidz since January 2018. I’m well aware of the many challenges they face, and the many challenges they’ll encounter as they move forward into employment.

Three concerns shared anonymously from young wheelchair users on the Whizz-Kidz Kidz Board about employment

• Our biggest fear is that our disability limits our first impressions on employers.
  We’ll always have the worry that employers wouldn't be able to look past the wheelchair and see what we could offer. On the other hand, we also don’t want a job that’s been handed to us for the sake of companies ticking a box to fill inclusion quotas.
  
  A lot of us wheelchair users are nervous to mention a disability in the first instance out of fear that our applications won’t even be looked at, because we’ll think that most people will look better on paper than we do, so we’ll be rejected outright as employers will have pre-conceived notions of what disabled people are capable of – or limited to.
  
  At our employability day, it was so heart-warming to see those in attendance wanting to pursue a whole range of career paths – medical researcher, photographer, a DJ, and a sports commentator. There shouldn’t be any reason stopping these young adults from pursuing their dream jobs!

• We worry that employers will be adamant about making their workplace accessibility friendly.
  Making a workplace wheelchair-friendly isn’t as scary as it sounds! As long as we’ve got a step-free access into the office and a toilet that gives us enough room to move about, that’s really all we often need to ask for.

• Will employers be understanding and flexible to our needs?
  Travel is always going to be a challenge for us. And many a time, wheelchair users also have more than one health issue. Having employers that can be understanding and flexible when we need to attend hospital checks or work from home will go a long way for us.

But discrimination isn’t just from employers

Ash, a 20-year old Whizz-Kidz beneficiary and second year university law student had shared her story earlier last week at the Whizz-Kidz’s 30th Anniversary which also painted a darker side as a young wheelchair user in today’s society.

Ash recalls a particular study session where all of her fellow classmates chose to sit at the opposite end of the room to herself. Before class began, there was a very noticeable gap between her and the rest of the class, and the teacher, upon noticing this gap, forced her classmates to shift over and fill out the entire room.

Even though this was done, it didn’t mean that the class had warmed up to Ash’s disability. When the class was split off to do group work, Ash’s group made off without her – leaving her behind without a word.

Ash's words moved everybody in the audience. Her story is one of the many challenges that young disabled people face every day. It reinforces the importance of what we as individuals and as organisations can do to help educate society about what wheelchair users can contribute.

The many fears and stories you’ve read here are one of the many more reason why I volunteer with Whizz-Kidz and why they are my chosen charity when I take part in the 2020 London Marathon. On top of raising money and awareness for Whizz-Kidz I hope that as a wheelchair user I can set an example to young wheelchair users that regardless of the challenges we face, we can and should have dreams and goals to take on.

Training for the big day is going well and I’m really enjoying it. My training focuses on upper body (my paralysis is from T12 on the spine so I believe I’ve a solid excuse for skipping leg day!), swimming (the only time I enjoy training less) and doing more miles when I’m in my wheelchair.

If you’d like to support me in reaching my target fundraising goal of £2,000, do visit my fundraising page. Every penny will go towards helping Whizz-Kidz provide disabled children with life-changing mobility equipment, wheelchair training to further their independence, sessions on employability and life skills to ease their transition into adulthood, and last but not least, a supportive community that they can always rely on.

Guidant Global is a Disability Confident employer and we’re always keen to support those that are historically overlooked in the world of work. Join us and make a positive influence today >

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