Sheffield Occupational Health Advisory Service ( SOHAS ) has been awarded £40,000 funding from the DRILL (Disability Research on Independent Living and Learning) programme , a £5 million research programme into independent living for disabled people. The five year scheme is led by disabled people and funded by the Big Lottery.
The ‘Disabled People – Getting In and Staying On’ project will explore organisations’ perceptions of employing disabled people and what influences them to offer – or decline to offer – disabled people jobs.
The project will be managed by SOHAS with support from Disability Sheffield and create jobs for and be led by disabled people or people with long term health conditions, who will be working alongside academics and policy makers.
Evan Odell from Disability Rights UK, which is supporting DRILL projects in England said:
“We’re delighted to be funding this project, run by and for disabled people. The results will help support disabled people to live more independently, and be part of the communities they live in.”
Nick Pearson from SOHAS added:
“We’ll be employing disabled people to work with employers in the Sheffield area and quiz them about the real – and perceived – difficulties they think exist for disabled people when it comes to employment. We expect to bust some myths, and help employers become more confident about giving disabled people jobs.”
DRILL has also announced that it is calling for new applications for research or project funds. More information is available on their their website .
Launched in 2015, the DRILL programme is fully funded by Big Lottery Fund and delivered by Disability Rights UK, Disability Action Northern Ireland, Inclusion Scotland and Disability Wales. DRILL is expecting to fund a total of up to 40 research pilots and projects over a 5-year period, all led by disabled people. Around £1,000,000 has been allocated in this round of applications.
30 May 2017 11:08:13
I am employed by Sheffield City Council as an employment and vocational coordinator for learning disabled people. This project is very much needed. I would welcome the opportunity be involved and potentially support learning disabled people on my case load to be involved. I look forward to hearing from you.
27 Jul 2017 12:14:00
Great to hear of your interest Angela – 5 disabled people are now in post as Researchers and are formulating plans on working with businesses by taking away the myths and barriers that surround disabled people and employment. Please get in touch with the Getting On, Keeping On (DRILL) Project on 0114 253 6647