Mentoring

There are also a number of independent organisations offering support for you starting your career:

City Disabilities offers mentoring for students and young graduates aspiring to professional careers (e.g. law, accountancy) in London.

Shaw Trust runs a Work and Health Programme designed to improve employment outcomes for those with health conditions or disabilities. They offer guidance, support and training to help you find a job.

SCOPE runs a Support to Work programme offering employability skills and a 12 week action plan.

It’s also worth looking at internship schemes; not only will you meet & get to network with people in that career field, but some schemes like Leonard Cheshire’s Change 100 programme also offer formal mentoring alongside your placement. 

You can read about Georgia’s experience of taking part in the Change 100 internship here. 

In-work mentoring & support networks:

Getting a job is a huge achievement, but as you’ll already know, the challenges might not end there – luckily the support doesn’t either. You have rights ensuring your employer accommodates your needs. You can also get informal advice and moral support for navigating the workplace with a disability, physical or mental illness, learning difficulty or neurodiverse condition from mentors and support networks.

Large organisations often have their own support networks and mentoring schemes for disabled employees, a few examples:

• NHS
• UK Civil Service (search your organisation / department with ‘disabled staff network’) & Parliament
• Tesco
• The ‘National Association of Disabled Staff Networks’, lists member-employers like the BBC, ITV, M&S, police forces 

Just because we haven’t listed an employer, it doesn’t mean they won’t have a scheme or network – if you’re already working somewhere, try asking colleagues or your human resources department. Alternatively, you can always find advice and support via trade-union networks and representatives.