Jobs

Giselle

Disability doesn’t need to prevent people from getting and keeping jobs in whatever field they want to work.

That’s Giselle Ruoss’s view, and she should know. For the past two and a half years she has managed Hertfordshire’s Buddy/Mentor scheme - a county council project that supports disabled people in the working world and helps employers to see beyond disability and recognise potential.

Giselle co-ordinates a team of volunteer mentors who give one-to-one support to people with disabilities who are in or looking for employment, or returning to work after illness.

Through listening to people with disabilities as individuals and helping to ensure they are listened to, buddy mentors encourage them to have confidence in their abilities whether coping with their disability, getting a new job, going for promotion or moving on.

“We don’t find people jobs, we support people to keep them, “ Giselle said. “They find their own jobs through increased self-confidence and motivation. If I can make myself redundant, I will have done a good job.”

Hertfordshire’s buddy mentor scheme is unique in that it marries employment, disability and ability, helping both employer and disabled employee to deal with and overcome the issues that they face.

Giselle says the biggest buddy mentor success stories are those of people who have regained confidence in their abilities and got back into work after several years of unemployment.

Her experience is that managers who aren’t aware of the support and equipment that can be made available have a different perception of what they as employers can do to encourage disabled people to develop their careers. When they understand and take into account the needs of existing or potential employees who have disabilities, it makes a big difference.

Would Giselle recommend Hertfordshire County Council as an organisation that is positive about disabilities?

Yes, she says, Hertfordshire has a lot to offer. While the council still has some way to go, it is very willing to learn and never complacent.