BASE sponsors Learning Disability Wales conference

Our opening session of We Can Work it Out is full of real life stories.  Listen to and watch people from all over Wales share their stories of work, both paid and unpaid.

• James from Torfaen People First will share his story of volunteering.
• Vale People First’s Covid Safety Officers Mark Tierney and Ben Taylor will talk about getting paid work.
• Stacey Traylor will talk about her job as a health care worker.
• Mr P from National Star will talk about work placement at Museum Wales.

Day 2 of We Can Work it Out will look at some of the barriers to work faced by people with a learning disability.

• Daniel Biddle survived life-threatening injuries in the 7 July 2005 terrorist attacks on London. He now runs Legacy International Group, a non-profit organization working to remove barriers to work for disabled people.
• Delyth Lloyd Williams will talk about how labels, diagnoses, perceptions and prejudices affect disabled people’s opportunities to work. Delyth’s daughter  has never had paid work but contributes to her family and community life in many ways, giving her a great sense of achievement.
• Kim Killow, James Lewis and Ramona Murray from the North Wales Learning Disability Transformation Programme will talk about their work addressing barriers to work for people with a learning disability.  They will share the progress they have made on co-producing a North Wales wide employment strategy for people with learning disabilities.

When people get the right support, many of the barriers to work can be broken down so people can get the job they want.  This session will look at supported employment across Wales.

• Elsa Jones and Gerraint Jones-Griffiths will talk about the Engage to Change project and their own experiences of being supported into work. Engage to Change is a project that has been working across Wales to provide paid work placements and a route into employment for young people with a learning disability and or autism.
• Sarah Sidman Jones from Vale of Glamorgan Council will talk about their work and plans to help people with a learning disability into work. Sarah is part of a team of people with a learning disability, health workers, local authority staff and people from the thirds sector, working together on ‘Work, volunteering and day opportunities.’  Her presentation will include video of people’s real life experiences.
• Karen Davies and people employed by Pembrokeshire County Council’s support employment programme will talk about their work. The programme employs 35 people with a learning disability or autism in cafes, a farm shop, a re-use repair workshops, a ground maintenance team, sawmill, and a factory. They will share their achievements and tips on how to use partnership working within a local authority to leverage funding and increase opportunities for people with learning disabilities.
• Careers Wales – Working Wales will talk about how the support available to get into work and give you advice on your options. Finding a job can be challenging, but Working Wales is here to help.

Being valued for the work you do and as a person in your workplace is important for all of us.  Many employers are missing out on what people with a learning disability have to offer and what they can contribute.  In this session, you will hear stories, and from speakers about how people with a learning disability can be valued employees and colleagues.

• Rhondda Cynon Taf People First will share a video from their employment campaign promoting people with a learning disability in a positive light showcasing members in their volunteering placements or doing their job in paid employment. This video is being used to raise awareness among employers so they create more opportunities for people with a learning disability.
• Sara Pickard is a Disabled Persons Employment Champion at the Welsh Government. She will talk about the role of Employment Champions and how their work supports small to medium-sized employers to become disability confident and understand the value disabled people can bring to the workplace.
• Mirus will share video stories from the people they support. You will see how people feel about getting work, being in work and how they are valued by their employers.
• Personal stories from people with a learning disability who work for Cardiff People First in community development, health, project management, policy. They will talk live about what they do, how they support each other and how valued a contribution they feel they make to society.

On our 5th and final day we will look at what needs to change to make the world of work better for people with a learning disability.

We will hear from an expert panel about what they think needs to change.

You, our audience, will then get to put your questions to our panel about the problems and opportunities the future holds.

Panel members

• Dr Stephen Beyer, Cardiff University
• Sara Pickard, Welsh Government
• Zoe Richards, Learning Disability Wales
• Daniel Biddle, Legacy International
• Kim Killow, North Wales Transformation Project