I am a trainee adviser for a Deaf and Disabled people’s organisation in South London. This is my first role working in advice services – I was working in social media before I started here. Since I joined the charity, I have been so inspired by the transformational work that happens to enable Deaf and Disabled people access the support they need and look forward to a brighter future.
As a Disabled person myself, I struggled to get the support I needed to help me. For many years I wasn’t accessing the support I was entitled to and it was only a chance discussion with a family friend that led me to investigate further. I found the whole journey really hard and it made me eager to help others and simplify the process for other Deaf and Disabled people.
Free advice: a fundamental right
It is so important that people are able to access free advice – it is a fundamental right to understand what you are entitled to and to know how to go about it. The information that you need to provide to access a Disability benefit is really very personal – you have to give lots of details about your health condition and your level of impairment. That can feel quite distressing for people, so it’s really important for the adviser to be there as a compassionate aid to steer them through.
Until I started my role as a trainee and I had no idea about the complexity of the work involved and how highly specialised an advice worker is – it really is a profession that should be recognised alongside other professions.
Pathway of training
My trainee programme involves a mixture of training and shadowing my manager in their casework. I am learning about the wide range of skills and knowledge advisers need to help people navigate a complex system. Anything from helping them understand the welfare system and what they are entitled to, helping them fill in forms, taking their case to tribunal if their claims are not upheld, and also simply being a listening ear – it’s all a vital part of an adviser’s work.
My training with AdviceUK has been fantastic. I have enjoyed the training sessions with a mix of theoretical as well as practical examples and opportunities to practice in an interactive way. I have also enjoyed connecting with other trainee advisers and we are all learning so much from each other.
I have already seen the life-changing effect of our work with Deaf and Disabled people. Advisers play a vital role – being able to talk to someone who understands the struggles they are going through, and who has a detailed knowledge of disability rights and what’s available makes all the difference. People feel heard and understood – and that can open up a whole world of possibilities.
I am finding the work really rewarding – I am keen to see where I can go next in developing my work as an adviser. I want my work to contribute to a wider movement of empowerment for Deaf and Disabled people. How can I help more people and where can that take me?
Re-defining disability
Society can make Deaf and Disabled people feel like they are defined by their condition – and yet with access to the right support, I’ve seen people step into their power and get much more out of life. People can feel invisible and for me it’s really important that I am working in an organisation where Deaf and Disabled people take centre stage.
My dream for the future is a world in which there is no need for organisations like ours – for people to be able to access the support they need easily and without a complex system to navigate.
Society can make Deaf and Disabled people feel shut out – but I want to see a world in which everybody can contribute and are welcomed for who and what they are.
That’s why advice work matters so much to me, because society is all of us – and every single human, every man, woman, person, child, regardless of their condition or how they’re struggling deserves to be a part of it, deserves to be seen, held, loved, and contribute.
I just want to validate other Deaf and Disabled people, because I know that things can be very hard and society can make stuff really difficult. What’s really helped me personally is to explore my creativity and find ways of expressing myself creatively. I want my message to other Deaf and Disabled people to be: you are seen, heard and understood – you are so worthy and you deserve to have a good life.
