Research

This longitudinal research project was designed in 2009 by a team from RNIB and VICTAR (Visual Impairment Centre for Teaching and Research at the University of Birmingham). The key objectives of the project are:

Deafblind people can work, however many will need specialist support to enable them to do so.  Sense campaigns to ensure those deafblind people who want to work get the support they need to gain employment and those deafblind people who work are supported to do their job well and can progress in their career.

Sense has written a report about the barriers deafblind people face when looking for work and when in employment and learn about the solutions that can help more deafblind people to gain and sustain employment.

This paper was published in the Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice and was co-authored by Mark Bertram of SLAM Mental Health NHS Trust.

The purpose of this paper is to explore what helped seven people in contact with secondary mental health services achieve their vocational goals, such as: employment, education, training and volunteering.

The authors used the practice of co-operative inquiry – staff and peer supporters co-designed an evaluation of vocational and peer support work with service users.

DWP has published research which seeks to understand how people move from work to claiming Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). Main findings • Around one-fifth (19 per cent) of all claimants moved straight from work to claiming ESA without any period of sickness absence. A further 45 per cent did have a period of sickness absence prior to leaving work (36 per cent were paid and 9 per cent unpaid). The remainder, 36 per cent, were unemployed immediately before making their ESA claim.