Case Study: My Experience of ‘Access to Work’ by Cameron Dicker

Employment

Embarking on the journey to employment can certainly be a daunting task. I vividly remember feeling really scared for the future, beginning towards the end of my secondary school years all the way to a whole year after I had finished college. 

It seemed that even with all the help and assistance I had received, I really needed more than just support, but direct, hands-on guidance. 

The world of CVs, cover letters, and job postings were overwhelming. There was far too much information to take in, most job descriptions did not make sense, and there were so many things that I quite simply didn’t understand. To me, it was almost as if I was just expected to know everything, now I’m an ‘adult’. 

I had spent around half a year as a trainee (and later, a volunteer) at Inclusive Change at Work, and was given my first proper experience within an office environment. This is where I first learned that work could be fun. It wasn’t a permanent position, and I found myself in the same place as I was before. Now what…?

It felt like I had stagnated for almost a year when I secured myself a 3-month internship, and came out of that more experienced than ever. I was prepared to search for a job properly, and even did so, but I still had those ‘why is this so complicated?’ thoughts running through my mind.

And then Lucy, Director of Inclusive Change and Inclusive Change at Work CIC, who had been the one to encourage me to my internship, headhunted me for a new position, which was amazing! There was still a lot I was unsure about…

What is Access to Work?

I was introduced to Access to Work as soon as I joined Inclusive Change. This was something I had never heard of before, something that was going to drastically change my journey.

Access to Work is a government scheme that helps you get into, or stay in employment if you have a physical or mental health condition or disability. Through Access to Work, you can apply for:

• A grant helps pay for practical support with your work, such as specialist equipment, support workers, costs of travelling to and from work, adaptations to your vehicle, or physical changes to your workplace.

• Support with managing your mental health at work

• Coaching for communication support at interviews

The Application

Going into it I was still a little nervous; surely this was all too good to be true. Lucy and I called on Zoom and we went through the process together. Her support was instrumental in allowing me to get through the application. There were a lot of things I hadn’t even considered saying, and help I could receive that I had no idea even existed.

Coaching helped me find all the right things to say and prompted me to be as open as possible. The questions were intimidating at first but we were able to make our way through them within an hour or so, and were told they’d get back to us within six weeks.

Lo and behold, I received an email three days later, informing me that my application had been accepted, which came as a complete shock. The fact it turned around so quickly absolutely baffled me, but we had done it! Now, two months down the line, I’ve got everything I need to stay in work, feel supported and release my worries.

From noise-cancelling headphones to Uber rides to and from work, Access to Work truly has been a huge game changer for me. I implore you, if you find yourself in a similar situation to me, then Access to Work will open doors to opportunities that may not have previously been available to you.

If you’d like to know more, get in contact or complete the online Access to Work Survey.

I wish you all the best in overcoming your obstacles and achieving your goals. 

Cam