Disability charity helps Taunton woman find work

A Taunton woman who had given up hope of finding a job has got back to work, with the help of disability charity Shaw Trust.

Joanne Bowyer, 33, has a physical disability which causes muscle weakness.  Joanne had been working as a cleaner, but lack of support and understanding of her disability forced her out of work.  Her confidence shattered and unsure where to turn, Joanne was struggling to find another job.

Then Joanne's Job Centre told her about Shaw Trust and suggested she join Work Choice, the government programme aimed at helping people with learning, mental health and physical disabilities get back into work.

Joanne recieved one-to-one support in her search for a job, as well as training in IT and interview skills.  Her Shaw Trust Work Choice advisor, Jacqui Markham, worked closely with her to boost her self esteem.

Joanne was thrilled to be offered a cleaning operative job at the Hydrographic Office in Taunton.

John Carr of One Complete Service, who manages the employment contract at the Hydrographic Office, says: "We were really pleased to be able to offer Joanne a job, she is a very hard working employee.  Shaw Trust have been really supportive in helping us to adapt our workplace to ensure Joanne can do her job to the best of her ability"

Joanne says she loves her new job and has really blossomed thanks to the suport she recieved from Shaw Trust.  "My employer made me feel really welcome and comfortable" says Joanne.

Shaw Trust works with employers across the UK and helps 70,000 people a year gain new skills and enter work.  Research commissioned by the Trust shows that nearly 50% of disabled people in the South West are workless, with disabled people being almost twice as likely to be unemployed as non-disabled people.

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For all media enquiries, including arranging photography, contact Rebecca Miller on 07912 560348 or rebecca.miller@shaw-trust.org.uk

Shaw Trust is the largest third sector provider of employment services in the UK. The Trust, set up in 1982, helps people with disability or disadvantage to find and stay in work.

Shaw Trust believes that everyone has the right to work and live　independent lives. As a national charity, our work is about empowering people to improve their lives and to believe in their own abilities as passionately as we do.　

Work Choice is a government programme to support clients, on a voluntary basis, with learning, mental health and physical disability/barriers to employment.

Shaw Trust is the lead provider of the Work Choice contract, delivering around 60% of the Work Choice provision across the UK

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