Lived experience leads to first ever paid job for George
An autistic young man from Somerset who has learning disabilities is celebrating his first ever paid job role, thanks to the support and encouragement of his Realise support team.
Building confidence and independence
Since leaving college in 2017, George has been supported by members of the specialist learning disabilities support team from Realise, who have been helping him to build the skills and confidence he needs to live more independently.
With their help and encouragement, George has successfully secured volunteer roles in both his local library and a nearby charity shop. He has also built up a routine of going swimming at the local leisure centre, and meeting a friend for lunch.
An opportunity to inform others
When it became a requirement for all staff in health and social care settings to receive the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training in Learning Disabilities and Autism, as a result of the sad and avoidable death of an 18 year old autistic man, the Realise team spotted an opportunity for George to share his lived experience as an autistic person with others, and further his own personal development and skillset in the process.
An important aspect of this training is that it is both produced and co-delivered by autistic people and people with learning disabilities. After talking through what this would involve, George decided to go ahead with the formal training to become a formal co-trainer, understanding more about how sharing his lived experience could educate and inform others about seeing the world from the perspective of an autistic person with learning disabilities.
A budding presenter
Despite having never spoken in front of a group of people before, George proved to be a natural at presenting. When a paid job opportunity arose at Somerset Care to be an Expert with Lived Experience Co-Trainer for the Oliver McGowan training, George applied – and got the job!
Not only does George now share his lived experience as part of regular training sessions for colleagues across the not-for-profit Somerset Care Group, but he wears his staff badge with pride as he also delivers and develops sections of the training course, and hosts the question and answer sessions. He also manages an unaided bus journey of more than an hour to and from the training centre for each presentation, something that he would previously have felt was beyond his reach.
The star of the show
As well as using the benefit of his lived experience to further the understanding of autism, completing the training and starting out in the world of employment has been of great benefit to George. His Realise team have observed how much of a boost this has been to his confidence, and how his skills and independence have developed as a result.
Amanda Kingsley-Templar, who was one of the original members of George’s Realise support team, and now delivers training sessions alongside him, says:
“The feedback George receives from the delegates has been highly positive. He really has become the star of the show! He has learned so much since starting this journey, and is now a confident and skilled presenter.
“We are incredibly proud of how far he has come – and see even more great things ahead!”
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