BITSE Partnership Project

And the results from survey carried out in the ‘BTC and Doras

Training Centres’ in Cope Foundation on

‘Barriers to work’

• The BTC and Doras are Training Centers, part of COPE Foundation that have students with disabilities. The aim of the two training centers is to help each student to either prepare for employment or further education.

• We are going to tell you about the results of our studies on barriers to work.

• Before we begin we will tell you a little about ourselves first.

KELVIN MULCAHY

I live in Cobh in Co. Cork in Ireland. I go to the BTC training centre from Monday to Friday and I am in the last year of my course.I am on work experience in Super Value in Cobh and I work in Enable Ireland in Cork city.

Hello, my name is Jessica Holton Yelverton. I am 19 years old. I live in Cork City, Ireland. I go to Doras Training Centre and I am now in my 2nd year of a 3-year course. I worked in the office of a local Community Centre I now work in the Tidy Towns in my community. I have gained great experience working Voluntary. As part of Job Shadow Day, I worked in the Probation Services in Cork.

JESSICA YELVERTON HOLTON

• These voluntary placements have helped me gain confidence that I bring to my work experience in Eddie Rocket’s restaurant. Eddie Rocket’s is an American style dinner and I am working as a waitress, for the last 10 months. I serve the food to the customers and clean off tables. I love meeting new people and chatting with them.

Background

Attitudes / Perception From our finding we feel employers often see only the disability and not the person behind it

• Cutbacks in Ireland means less support for service users if we want to go onto college or mainstream education

Policy making,

“Access to school/training/

employmenttransport/workplace

adaptation”

some service users living in country side may have problems with trying to get transport.

Education / training /including informal

learning

A services users personal ability may slow down his or hers acceptance to mainstream education

Suggestions

• Voluntary work combined with a national body like the President’s Award allows us to gain valuable experience develop and build on our skills.

Thank You