Employment

Having gained Independence in terms of my own home and staff to support me, my next goal was to be able to give up my dependence on Social Security benefits and earn my own living. At this point I found that I was in a trap. The kind of jobs that I was being presented with were menial and not designed to give me any self-respect. I had started to get involved with offering Dance Workshops and also found myself in demand to give presentations on Disability Rights issues.But I was having to refuse payment as this would have jeopardised my Income Support and was having to work for expenses only. As my circle of contacts increased and the calls on my time grew, I decided to make enquiries about becoming self-employed. The overwhelming response was "Don't do it!". If I came off benefits and the business failed, then I would be unable to just jump back in to the benefits system. In frustration, I presented a paper at the Communication Matters National Symposium in September 2002 entitled "Employed, Self-employed or Un-employed?". This paper was subsequently published in the Communication Matters Journal of November 2002. My work load continued to increase.

Early in 2004 I decided to make fresh enquiries about becoming self-employed. I approached the Disability Employment Adviser at my local Jobcentre Plus and spoke to others , including the Inland Revenue Small Business Adviser. This time I got a very different response. I was encouraged to explore the possibilities further and given information on the various sources of help that are now available - Working Tax Credits, Access to Work and local funding. I found that it was now feasible to start up my business. I gave up my Income Support and officially became a self-employed person from 1st March 2004. I wrote a follow up article in the Communication Matters Journal of May 2004. Things are going very well and my business is growing. Make no mistake about it - this is still not an easy option! The Government are not in the business of propping up ill thought-out propositions or artificially created "jobs". However, if you have a realistic proposition, then the support is there to turn it in to a reality.

If you would like to read my articles, please follow the links below.

Abstract of Article in Communication Matters November 2002

Abstract of Article in CM April 2004

Communication Matters is a UK national organisation focusing on people with complex communication needs who may benefit from communication aids and systems to maximise their opportunities and enhance their lives. Their very helpful website is packed with really useful information and links. It can be found at
   www.communicationmatters.org.uk

To view my articles you will need to have Adobe® Reader® installed. To get your free Reader® click on the Adobe button below :